Jumping to Conclusions
by SuperCornflake
Summary: What happens when you think you are in love with someone, only to later find out you're in love someone else - and the person you least expected at that? This scenario is only too complicated for a certain defense attorney. Rated T for now.
1. Chapter One

**_Author's Notes:_**

This is a fanfiction written for a friend that... uh... kind of went beyond my original "ten or less" pages limit, hurr. She wanted a story that involved Phoenix thinking he was in love with Maya, but finds out he is really in love with Miles. Maya, on the other hand, realises she has affections for Ema Skye. If you do not like yaoi or yuri, please move on and do not leave negative comments. Thank you!

Contains possible spoilers for the second and third games. Please note that I started this story before I even played the second or third games (still haven't played the third lol) so there may be several inaccuracies. Also, the events in this story happen after GS3 but before GS4. (And Phoenix does not become a hobo.)

(Unfortunately this story has not been submitted to a beta and I sincerely apologise for any spelling or grammatical errors in this chapter and any of the following). I'd like to warn everyone that I do tend to fluctuate between U.K English and American English for some reason. Like I will refer to a mobile phone as a "cell phone" in this story, mostly because the characters are meant to be American. Same goes for "footpath" and "sidewalk". And even though I'm used to saying words like "fringe" instead of "bangs", I'll try to stick to bangs for this purpose. Being an Australian, a lot of the words I spell are very similar, if not exactly alike to certain words in the British dictionary. I will type "manoeuver" and "moustache" and "colour" and "neighbour", so please excuse me if you believe it does not fit in this context. As much as I try to adhere to these "self-set guidelines" there will of course still be quite a few slip ups in my terminology and such, hehe. Okay I think I'm thinking too deeply into this so I'll shutup. I ALWAYS DO THAT. /paranoid

**Disclaimer: The characters and settings created by CAPCOM that are featured in this story are solely owned by their creators. I do not claim them as mine in any way, shape or form. I am not recieving monetary profit from having written this story and no copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

**"Jumping to Conclusions"**

_***~Chapter One~***_

***

"NOT GUILTY."

The sound of a gavel hitting wood rang throughout the courtroom as there was an eruption of cheers from the stand somewhere behind him. A flash of purple was seen and an exclamation of: "I knew you could do it, Nick!" met his ears as he basked in his victory - trying not to look overly happy about it. It was difficult to suppress his happiness though; especially since this had been such a tough trial.

The defendant, Renae Flynn, had been accused of the murder of her step-brother, Antoni De Luca. The victim had returned from "visiting his grandfather" in Italy and had apparently been involved with another woman during his trip. Suspicions arose back in the United States when his current girlfriend, Danielle Bronfield, discovered emails from the mysterious woman in Italy... and made plans to put an end to it.

Upon her boyfriend's return, she organised a "welcoming dinner" - inviting only three other people: two close friends and the defendant. The three invites were used to distract from the fact that she truly intended for only the step-sister to make it - the other two people were not actually informed of the welcoming dinner, therefore never showed up. Antoni De Luca didn't raise any suspicions.

Phoenix wondered why on earth Renae Flynn had been chosen to fulfil the act of the perpetrator in this case. His answer was brought to light upon the discovery that Danielle secretly held a grudge against her - for reasons unknown. Thus, she had turned to cowardice and framed Flynn for the murder of her boyfriend.

The weapon of choice had been an ordinary glass of white wine - carefully poisoned with a substantial enough dose of strychnine - a lethal poison that foresaw death with the onset of muscular convulsions and asphyxia. The poison, recognised as one of the most bitter substances to stain the palate, somehow wasn't properly detected by the victim, who had developed a bad cold at the time. This had been advantageous for Bronfield, who knew that her boyfriend wouldn't suspect anything until the effects took place.

Decisive evidence had pointed out that Bronfield had organised the entire murder so that traces of the poison were found inside a bottle which had been placed in Flynn's handbag.

The rest of the case had been such a mix-up that Phoenix was more than glad it was over. Relief washed over him and he leant against the Defense's bench looking far more content then he had in the last four days, his charismatic grin returning.

Renae Flynn looked as if she was about to cry. She threw a thankful glance in Phoenix's direction as the spectators cheered from the stands, making the courtroom sound more like a sports arena than a house of judgement. After all the celebratory chaos - much to the now-handcuffed Danielle Bronfield's dismay - Renae approached Phoenix and looked down at the floor. The spiky-haired lawyer, who was currently being applauded enthusiastically by Maya and Pearl combined - took notice of his client and exclaimed recognition.

"Hello, Miss Flynn." he said, smiling in greeting as if he hadn't seen her earlier.

"Mr Wright! Thank you so much!" Renae said joyfully, looking up for a short instant. It wasn't long before she lowered her head to gaze at the floor again.

"You're welcome." Phoenix replied, as Maya and Pearl showered confetti over him, making him feel more like a Christmas tree instead of a defense lawyer who had just gotten an innocent client off the hook, "... Uh, is everything alright?"

The woman grasped her left wrist nervously, seeming to fiddle with the clasp of her orange wristwatch. Tendrils of curly brown hair fell over her eyes and she mumbled something that sounded like: "I won't be able to pay you just yet."

"Wh-what?" Phoenix stammered, looking as if his own birthday had been marked off the calendar for all eternity, "I thought you said you would be able to cover the fees..."

_I should have known this would happen. Trust me to end up with the clients who can't pay for my services._

"I'm... I'm really sorry!" Renae chewed on her tongue anxiously, feeling ashamed. "But please understand... I only recently realised I had other debts that needed to be cleared first, so I had to make sure that was covered otherwise the repo company would t - "

Phoenix sighed. "It's alright... I'm sure we can work something out."

_Hopefully before I end up homeless on the streets. _

"A-are you sure? I mean, I could pay instalments, if you want." The curly-haired woman searched in her handbag frantically for a pen and threw furtive and hopeful glances towards her lawyer.

"That's perfectly fine," Phoenix agreed, nodding his head.

"Oh, thank you so much, Mr Wright! I... I'm sorry for all these complications."

"Don't worry about it. It's fine, really."

They moved to the lobby. After several more minutes of discussion with the woman, Phoenix waved goodbye as she left to catch a taxi that was parked for her outside the courthouse.

"I'll deliver my first deposit after I get paid next week!" she promised, opening the door of the taxi and muttering directions to the driver before they left.

_I get the feeling I'll be waiting a lot longer than that. _Phoenix thought, remembering how many other clients had promised similar guarantees of payment, only to abandon them in the end. He glanced over at Maya, watching as she and Pearl busied themselves with making chains out of the wrappers from the sweets they had secretly consumed during the trial.

"Hey, what's all this?" he asked the pair of spirit mediums, picking up a bright green wrapper and surveying it with a sly grin on his face, "have you two been eating the whole time?"

"N-no, Mr Nick!" Pearl answered shrilly, smiling in that way that children did whenever they were trying to hide their wrong-doings.

"Suuuure, Pearls. And I'm guessing all of these sweet wrappers belong to - OWWW!"

The sound of a sharp whip-crack, accompanied by the searing pain which now blazed across his right shoulder, alerted him to the presence of one haughty-looking Franziska von Karma.

"Phoenix Wright!" she barked, her blue-green eyes flaring with anger as she readied her whip for the second time. Phoenix flinched instinctively, cowering under her glare.

_What's HER problem? _

He grabbed his shoulder in an effort to dull the pain, but his hand was whipped away from it almost instantly.

"OW! What gives?" he yelped, edging backwards. "If this is about losing the trial or somethi - "

"My reputation is always ruined by foolish fools such as yourself! How can you stand there feeling so foolishly proud of your foolish self when I am left like this?!!" She spat, baring her teeth for a moment and sniffing impatiently.

Pearl, who was standing nearby, puffed out her chest indignantly. The little spirit medium trudged up to the 19-year old prosecutor and gave her a grumpy look. Phoenix didn't know whether he should be telling Pearls to run away, or the other way around.

"Don't speak to Mr Nick like that!" she squeaked bravely, rolling up one of her sleeves and causing Maya to shush her and lead her to the side.

"No, let me go!" she retaliated, releasing herself from her cousin's grip and moving back towards the prosecuting attorney, who had an eyebrow raised in a sceptical manner.

"Foolish child, what on _earth_ do you think you are doing, going up against me?" she scoffed, although her voice had softened considerably.

"P-Pearls... Heh... Come on now, stop it." Phoenix laughed nervously, trying to intervene. The young girl then turned to Maya angrily, stomping her foot. Maya gulped.

"Um..."

"Mystic Maya! How can you stand there and watch while this mean lady hurts your special someone?!"

Phoenix blanched and looked away, feeling as if someone had stripped him of his clothing for all the world to see.

"What? Oh Pearly, don't start with that now..."

Franziska laughed icily, looking quite entertained. She rolled up her whip and attached it to the clasp at her hip, before tugging at her gloves to adjust them.

"Special someone?" she repeated, looking from the defense attorney to his assistant. "How foolishly foolish. Well, I suppose it is foolishly fitting for such a foolish pair of fools who foolishly bother to foolishly engage in such foolishly foolish affections of foolishness."

Phoenix blinked.

_The hell?_

"I suppose you have entertained me enough for the afternoon, Phoenix Wright." Franziska continued, pretending she had not just confused three people with her choice of vocabulary, "I trust that my little brother will not be so easy on you in court next time, either."

_Edgeworth? Since when HAS he been easy on me in court, anyway?_

"I do not want to see your face for a while, fool," she seethed, turning on her heel and walking away down the corridor with the air of someone who held great importance. "That goes for you two, as well!" she snapped at the two cousins near Phoenix, who merely blinked in surprise.

Maya waited until the prodigy was out of sight before whispering to Phoenix: "What's _her _problem?"

Phoenix sighed, "Heh. If I knew, I'd tell you, trust me."

"They say you should never trust a lawyer, Nick!"

"Why are you talking to me like I'm not actually a lawyer."

Maya laughed at that statement - that pleasant laugh which reminded Phoenix of the wind chimes in Kurain. It was a strange thing to relate her laugh to, but it was probably the musical, tinkling quality her voice held whenever she expressed joy like that.

"So, anyway... Nick. How about buying us all burgers for dinner!"

"That was more of a demand than a question, Maya." Phoenix scratched his neck in that characteristic fashion of his.

"Wellll..."

"You heard my client! She can't pay me till later!" Phoenix whined, feeling defeated. They made their way out of the building, Pearl holding on to Maya's hand. Phoenix rifled some of his papers as they continued their pace, wanting to make sure everything was in order.

"Can't you do that later, Nick?" Maya complained, as Pearl skipped alongside her.

"Jush wait a shecond..." Phoenix responded, his words muffled by the legal forms he held in his mouth by the corners. He sorted them out into his briefcase skilfully, using a bench as a temporary form of assistance, before straightening up again and continuing to walk as if nothing happened.

The sun was just reaching the hills in the distance. Consulting his wristwatch, he took into account that it was almost 4:00pm.

"Why don't we just go home and cook something up there? It'll be cheaper," he asked his assistant hopefully, grinning.

Maya stopped in her tracks almost immediately and looked at Phoenix as if he had just cancelled Christmas.

"It's not fair! I cheered you on while you were stuck there in court, and this is the thanks I get? You promised me Nick! And Pearly, too!"

"Wait a minute! If I had known that this would be the price to pay just to have you both cheer me on, I would have sealed duct tape over your mouths at the beginning of the trial!" he retorted, sensing almost too soon that it was the wrong thing to say.

"NIIIICK!" Maya huffed, before Pearl intervened and held out her arms.

"Mystic Maya, I think Mr Nick just wants to treat you to a more _romantic_ dinner at his place!"

"Wha - n-no, Pearls... That's not what I meant, I mean - "

"Huh?" Maya frowned, looking at Phoenix incredulously. "That's so stupid!" she laughed, as Phoenix quirked an eyebrow.

_Tell me something I don't know._

Yet he thought that it would be nice to have dinner at home for once, laughing and talking with Maya together... Oh, and Pearls of course.

"Well, your loss. I was planning on making some of that casserole you like so much."

"Hah! As if... Everyone knows you're a terrible cook!"

"I'm pretty sure it's you who's the terrible cook, Maya. I know how to make a good meal, if I say so myself."

"Hey!"

"So, is that a yes or a no?"

Maya sighed and blankly looked up at a nearby signpost which that had the closest street name on it, pretending it was interesting. Her expression changed and she shrugged. "Fine. But only if you wash the dishes, too."

"So you want me to cook _and_ wash up, huh?"

"Duh! That's your punishment for not buying us bur - "

Another voice interrupted their quarrel, and both spirit mediums and the lawyer looked up to see a girl with long brown hair, a pair of dark pink glasses perched above her bangs and a white lab coat pulled over her blue school uniform. Ema Skye looked every bit the science-enthusiast; her shoulder bag filled with all sorts of test tubes and spray bottles.

"Hi, Mr Wright! Hi Maya!" she called out, approaching them. "And you're... Pearl, right?" she added, looking at the young spirit medium who smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

"Hey, Ema!" Phoenix replied, smiling just as widely. "What are you doing here?"

"Eh, nothing much. I came in to see Mr Edgeworth to cheer him in court, but I only just remembered he was up against you... And I can never decide who to cheer for when you're both up against each other... Then I remembered something else! He's not even prosecuting today's trial. It's that... von Karma lady, or something? She's scary..."

She said all of this very fast.

"Well, yeah." Phoenix laughed. "You got that right." he glanced over at Maya who hadn't said anything in response to Ema's greeting yet, and was instead looking to the side with a pink-tinged face.

"Are you okay?" Ema asked her, waving a hand in front of her line of sight, causing the other to jump slightly.

"Oh! Hey...!" Maya said finally, before looking down at her sandals. Pearl gazed at her cousin curiously.

"So anyway," Phoenix said, breaking the tension. "Is Lana about, or is it just you?"

_Wow, I totally did not sound a lot like a pedophile just then. Oh god._

Thankfully, Ema was too busy surveying Maya's expression to notice much. She tilted her head to the side, looking back at Phoenix, and smiled pleasantly.

"Lana's busy at the moment," she answered, readjusting her spectacles proudly. Phoenix was aware of how much the young science-fanatic adored her older sister, despite all the twists and turns they had endured together. She was a lot like Maya in a way, but there were still vast differences between them.

Ema shuffled where she stood and piped up again. "So... What are you three up to? Going to get an early dinner?"

Maya frowned. "Well, we _were_, but Mr Stuck-up here doesn't want to."

"Aw, that's mean." Ema laughed. "He's more of a... Mr I-hardly-get-paid-so-have-pity-on-me-since-I-can't-afford-to-buy-you-dinner kinda guy."

Phoenix's mouth twitched.

_Wow, thanks Ema. I'm honoured._

"No, he wants to treat Mystic Maya to a nice dinner at home, that's why!" Pearl interrupted, causing Ema to look down at her in surprise.

The schoolgirl raised her eyebrows. "Really?" she asked, taking out a notepad from one of her pockets and writing something down in a hurried scrawl.

"Hey, what's that for?" Phoenix enquired in surprise, "if you're writing down relationship stuff, you've got the wrong ide - "

But Ema had already written down what she had wanted to write, and had tucked her notepad back where it came from.

_She's like the Paparazzi or something._

"Wanna join us?" Phoenix blurted out, trying to distract from the idea that he only wanted to have dinner with Maya. "Pearls is joining us too, it's good to have a few friends about."

"Hehe, sure...!" Ema agreed, practically jumping on the spot. "And don't worry, I'll stop teasing you and Maya."

Pearl frowned as soon as she heard those words.

------

As they entered the apartment, Phoenix removed his suit blazer and threw it unceremoniously onto the old sofa, recieving a yell of: "How many times do I have to tell you to hang it up?" by a certain 19-year old spirit medium.

"Relax, Maya. Home is where you're supposed to not care. It's at_ work _that you have to worry about that kinda stuff."

"Nick, I'm not even gonna bother."

Pearl and Ema watched them argue from the doorway, and Pearl held up both her hands to her cheeks, looking at the pair with an adoring gaze that concerned Ema only a little.

"Mr Nick and Mystic Maya are arguing like a married couple!" she squeaked, sounding much too optimistic about the entire charade.

"Uh..." Ema sounded, feeling confused. "So, Pearl... d-do you think Maya likes Mr Wright in that way?" she asked the little girl next to her, over Phoenix and Maya's arguing.

"Of course!" Pearl responded, a little over-enthusiastically. "Can't you see the love in her eyes?" The little girl sighed. Ema looked at her as if she had watched one too many romance soap-operas.

"Well, not really," the student laughed, as Pearl ignored her.

"Maya, just leave it," Phoenix whined, as Maya made to fold the blazer and place it neatly on the arm of the couch. He grabbed her around the waist in an effort to stop her from doing so.

"What's the big deal Nick? Just let m - "

"I'd ask you the same thing!" Phoenix muttered, laughing. Their small heated argument had somehow turned into a playful fight of sorts. He ended up tackling her onto the couch, wrenching the blazer from her grasp, before quickly standing up again and sticking out his tongue mockingly.

"Hah, you lose!" he jeered, walking off to bedroom to throw the blazer on the bed.

"Nick, I'll get you back for that!" Maya shouted at his retreating figure.

"Not if you want dinner any time soon!" Phoenix retorted from the other room, silencing Maya instantly. The teenager pouted and flipped her long, ebony hair to the side, causing the violet-coloured hair beads she wore to glint in the light shining in from the afternoon sun.

Pearl sighed, making the other two girls to turn their heads and stare. "They're perfect for each other!"

Ema burst out laughing, recieving an angry glare from the little child next to her. Pearl sniffed and muttered something that curiously sounded a lot like: "You must be blind not to see that they are destined for one another!"

"Ignore her," Maya said, chuckling. All "vengeance" towards Phoenix was suddenly forgotten.

"Haha, I can't help but wonder, though." Ema spoke, looking directly at the purple-clad teenager.

"What's that?"

"Well, _do _you like Mr Wright?" Ema bit her tongue at these words, wondering if she shouldn't have asked. For some reason, she felt a tiny hint of jealousy brewing up inside herself. Pearl waited for the answer anxiously.

Maya thought for longer than was required, before finally saying: "I like him as a friend... But I'm not sure if I like him as a - "

"Okay, so it's casserole for dinner, then?" the loud voice of a certain defense attorney cut through Maya's answer, as Phoenix exited the bedroom and made a beeline for the kitchen. He had removed his tie and had rolled up his sleeves in preparation for making the meal.

"Wooo!" Maya cheered, obviously pleased at the choice of food. "Chicken casserole, please!"

"Already decided." Phoenix said, "and it's beef."

"What? Awwwww!" Maya whined, slumping back down onto the couch. Phoenix couldn't help but smile at how cute she was when she did that.

"If it makes you feel better, I'll make chicken casserole tomorrow."

"It would make me feel even better if you took me out for burgers tomorrow instead!" Maya exclaimed brightly, her face lighting up with some sort of hope. Ema found it endearing and sat down next to the spirit medium on the couch as Pearl went to watch some late afternoon kid's show on television.

"Didn't I say earlier that my client couldn't afford to pay me this week? And it's not like the burgers you consume are that CHEAP."

"Ssssh, Nick. Ema's talking to me!"

"Fine."

The lawyer let them be as he started cutting up the thawed out meat on the chopping board in the kitchen.

_One minute I HAVE to answer her, the next minute I have to shut up. _

Yet he couldn't help but smile.

----

"So, Ema..." Maya started, fiddling with one of the purple beads that held a section of her hair in place, "How are you coping with school after your break in Europe?"

Ema, who had been watching the remote control on the coffee table with some interest, looked up. "It's going alright... I'm in my last year of high school now," she explained, "it took me a while to catch up. And I might be going back to Europe again after all this." She fiddled with the strap of her bag, not wanting to put it down like Phoenix suggested she should have some time ago.

"Ah, okay." Maya smiled, "Well, until then, we should hang out more!" she said, clasping her hands together and smiling. Ema took notice of how her grey eyes lit up whenever she made that gesture, as if nothing would make her happier.

"Yeah, that would be awesome!" she agreed, laughing. "I can show you all kinds of neat stuff to do with science!"

Maya blushed. "Well, I'm more of a spiritual person, myself."

"Aw, that's a shame," Ema said, but then went wide-eyed. "O-oh I'm sorry... I didn't mean to offend you or anything!" it was her turn to blush. She nervously looked down and apologised again.

"It's okay, really!" Maya reassured her, trying to keep her voice down to prevent her cousin from getting angry that she was interrupting her cartoon.

"Well, anyway." Ema continued, trying to shake the incident off. "I'm not doing anything this weekend, maybe you and I can take Pearl to the amusement park or something? I've been dying to get out there and do stuff other than homework."

At a glance, Maya was pretty sure that Ema seemed the type to be engrossed in homework without argument. But it seemed that she did yearn for things other than that.

"That's sounds great! Exactly what I had in mind, actually." Maya said happily, before adding, "and we should get burgers for lunch too, while we're at it."

Ema laughed again and leant back in her seat. Maya noticed how Ema's chestnut-coloured hair flowed down past her shoulders, and how she too also wore a top-knot of some sort.

_Now people can stop saying I'm the only one with weird hair,_ she thought to herself, smiling. She felt at ease around Ema, even though she hadn't known her for _too _long. But it had been long enough to establish a comfortable friendship. On Sunday they could have lots of fun, showing Pearly the newest rides at the amusement park and maybe Phoenix would tag along. Lost momentarily in her thoughts, she heard a man's voice call out.

"Hey, you three! Dinner's almost ready."

"That was fast, Mr Wright!" Ema replied, kneeling on the couch the opposite way so she could peer over the back.

"I'm known for being a speedy cook," Phoenix said proudly.

"That's a lie and you know it, Nick!" Maya argued, teasing him. Pearl was still transfixed on the television, watching several colourful characters dance on the screen.

"Jeez, Maya. She's worse than you and your Steel Samurai shows," Phoenix indicated, nodding his head towards the young girl, who still hadn't taken notice.

"Oh, you like the Steel Samurai too?" Ema asked, thrilled, as she turned to the older spirit medium. "They've been making even more episodes! Did you see that new episode last night when the Evil Magistrate held him captive using that deadly, corrosive cage?"

Maya looked delighted that she had come across another fan. "Yes! And then he managed to escape by - "

Phoenix shook his head at the pair of them. _Corrosive cage?! _"Well, when you're ready to eat, it's on the table," he muttered, going to the small dining area and setting the place mats. Even though Maya liked to talk a lot, he really never got annoyed at her.

In fact, he found it hard to get angry towards her at all.

_Maybe I've been hanging around her too long._

No, maybe it was something else. He looked up to stare at the teenagers several metres away, chatting animatedly about their favourite show, two pairs of arms waving around energetically and laughter being projected from the both of them.

Maya's hair danced about her as she moved, her white teeth glinting in the indoor light of the apartment now that Phoenix had drawn the curtains.

_Why am I noticing her like this?_

He was sure he didn't find her attractive in that way, maybe it was just seeing her happy that made him happy in return.

And he put those thoughts to rest, as eventually the three other people approached the table to join him for dinner - Maya having to practically wrench Pearl away from the screen in order to do so.

"Looks good!" Maya piped up, picking up her fork as Ema and Pearl did the same.

"Thanks, let's hope it tastes just as good..." Phoenix muttered. The words barely left his mouth as Maya gave a satisfied, "Mmm-mm!" after consuming a mouthful.

"I take it that it tasted good, then."

"Yeah it's great, Nick! Really delici - "

The sound of a doorbell rang and Phoenix almost dropped his eating utensils in surprise.

"Wonder who that is?" Ema asked to nobody in particular. Phoenix pushed back his chair with a small squeak and stood up, walking away from the table towards the door.

"Who is it?" he called out, hoping for a succinct response. When none came, he opened the door hastily - to end up looking none other than Miles Edgeworth in the eye.

"Wright." he nodded briefly in greeting, before handing over a file. "Franziska found this extra file left behind on your bench in the courtroom. She demanded that I return it to you because she kept reiterating that she did not want to see your face for quite a while."

Phoenix awkwardly accepted the Manila folder into his hands and flipped it open. "Damn, I forgot about this. Thanks Edgeworth."

_Franziska didn't have to be so harsh about it though._

Edgeworth smirked and rolled his eyes insultingly. "Only one as unorganised as you could forget something so important, Wright."

_Gee, thanks._

"How do I know you haven't... _looked_ through this, anyway?" Phoenix asked daringly, throwing Edgeworth an accusing look. The prosecutor merely glared and looked down on the defense attorney as if he were a meddlesome fly.

"What kind of man do you think I am?" he asked, almost dangerously.

"Whoa whoa whoa, I didn't mean to imply anything like that!" Phoenix said quickly, "I was just saying... You know, anyone would ask the same thing, doesn't matter who returned it. Ehehehe... "

He scratched his neck and grinned in mild hopes that it would lighten the situation.

"Hmph." Edgeworth snorted, feeling mocked.

"Hey, Nick... Who is it?" Maya called from the dining table, causing the prosecutor in the doorway to frown.

"I trust that I haven't interrupted anything?" he asked curiously, not bothering to peep over Phoenix's shoulder. The sounds of three girls giggling at the table was information enough.

"Wh - ? No... wait! No, they're just here for dinner!" the defense attorney exclaimed.

"And these people are - ?"

"Maya, Pearls and Ema."

"I see. And here I was thinking that it was strange when you started hanging out with one teenage girl a couple of years back. Now there are more."

"Edgeworth, you're being ridiculous. We're _friends._ And Pearls isn't even a teenager yet."

"You do realise that you just made yourself sound even more suspicious?"

Phoenix pulled a face somewhere between an expression of frustration and bewilderment. _He KNOWS who_ _Pearls is! She's been helping me out with investigations for ages now! _He half-wanted to slam the door in Edgeworth's face, but then again, he also wanted to invite him inside for some reason. Maybe it was because of common courtesy or something like that.

"If anyone's suspicious right now, it's you. How did you find my address?" he asked nervously, wondering whether or not Edgeworth had actually spent several hours sifting through the plethora of "Wrights" in the phone book. He received his answer as Edgeworth blurted out one name.

"Butz."

"Oh. Wait. How?"

"Fortunately, I bumped into him when I stopped for fuel on the way back from the office." Edgeworth looked off to the side as if trying to forget some awful memory, "Well,_ unfortunately_, more like."

Phoenix laughed. "So naturally, he just gave away my address, just like that."

"It's Larry, Wright. What more do you expect?"

"Ah. Of course. When something smells, it's usually the Butz."

Edgeworth gave Phoenix the slightest hint of a smile, which the defense attorney passed off as another one of his I'm-better-than-you smirks.

"Hm. Then again, I suppose it was fortunate after all, seeing as I would have otherwise been forced to spend the afternoon trying to track down your address using _less-convenient_ methods."

"Such as?" Phoenix pressed on, amused. _The phone book?_

"Such as the phone book."

_Bingo._

"Aw, I didn't know you cared that much." Phoenix said in a dramatic voice, causing Maya and Ema to giggle again. Pearl seemed either too involved with eating, or was angry that Phoenix was giving more attention to someone else other than Maya. Whatever the reason, Phoenix thought it was wise _not_ to turn around and face them all just yet.

"I would much rather be dealing with more important matters right now. You can sit here and have fun at the dinner table all you want, but keep in mind that not everybody has the same amount of free time to spend according to their desire."

"You know what?"

"What, Wright."

"I think _someone _needs a hug."

Edgeworth's default, resigned expression faltered for exactly five seconds before Phoenix burst out laughing.

"Ahahah! Oh man, you should have seen the look on your _face_!"

"Th-That is _not _funny."

"Well, excuse _me_ for having a sense of humour... If _you _were any more emotionless, you might as well be an inanimate object!"

"Is that so. Well, l will leave you to talk to your _living_ companions in the next room. See you in court, Wright."

In what could only be described as an elegant turn of the body, Edgeworth left Phoenix standing at the doorway without another word.

Phoenix bolted after him hesitantly, grabbing him by the arm. "Edgeworth, I'm only _joking!_ Can't you take a joke?"

An icy glare met up with worried blue eyes as Edgeworth directed his malice at the man gripping his arm. He quickly wrenched it out of Phoenix's grip.

"According to you, I don't have a sense of humour, remember?"

"Well, now you are only proving my point."

"Hmph."

"All of that frowning is gonna give you premature wrinkles, you know."

"Not as wrinkly as your shirts, I hope."

"Hey, I iron my clothes when I have time!"

"Which seems to be _never_."

"You yourself said I had enough free time to spare! And wait - why are we even talking about clothes? I wanted to tell you to stop being so stuck-up twenty-four seve - "

"NIIIICK, what the heck is taking you so long? Who are you talking to?" Maya's shrill call seemed to bounce off the corridor walls and ricochet off the stairwell as she poked her head out of the apartment to see where her friend had gone. "Mr Edgeworth, is that you? What are you doing here?" Her dark grey eyes widened curiously towards the two lawyers standing down the hall.

"Leaving." Miles responded curtly, throwing a swift nod at Maya before departing down the nearby set of stairs, choosing to avoid the elevator.

"Aw, Mr Edgeworth - why?" Maya enquired loudly, leaning further out of Phoenix's apartment entrance and using the door frame to support herself. "We're having dinner, you should join us!"

Edgeworth was already almost halfway down the first flight of stairs when he paused in his tracks.

"I have better things to do." he mumbled coldly, loud enough for only a certain defense attorney to hear. Phoenix looked back sadly, staring at the magenta-clad man as he returned to his descent down the stairwell, vanishing from view.


	2. Chapter Two

**"Jumping to Conclusions"**

**_*~Chapter Two~*_**

"Did he really feel THAT insulted?" Maya asked the next morning at work, as she sorted out some folders into their appropriate drawers, filing them alphabetically in the way that her older sister Mia used to do. Phoenix had become slightly negligent of his office space and Maya secretly felt important enough to be handling the task.

"Well," Phoenix sighed, as he entered some scrap documents into the paper shredder near his desk, "I think it's probably just him. It's just the way he is."

_A cold-hearted stick-in-the-mud._

The defense attorney leant on the backrest of his chair, supporting himself with one hand. Maya noticed him look off into the distance and consoled him.

"Maybe he's just too stressed from all the work he has to do!" she said, in a manner that Phoenix could only label as much too positive for the situation, "I think you should invite him for lunch!"

"Haha, like _that's _gonna work."

_For all I know he'll make up something on the spot about having to stick to gourmet meals or being allergic to fast food._

"You're right." Maya agreed, sadly. But it wasn't long before her eyes soon lit up again. "Well, Ema's coming over to the office in about an hour, so all three of us can go for lunch, then?"

"Ema?"

"Yeah, she said she had nothing better to do. You don't mind, do you Nick?"

"No, of course not!"

"Great!" Maya clapped her hands in front of her and nodded happily. She skipped off to go get something from one of the shelves. "Awww, it's empty!"

The jar of "burger allowance" was indeed empty, proven to Phoenix as the teenager tipped it upside down as if hoping any coins she missed would suddenly roll out onto the carpet.

"I don't keep all my money in there, Maya. Stop whining," Phoenix laughed, pulling out a ten dollar note from a brown wallet in his suit pocket. "See."

"Is that all?" Maya scowled, looking at her boss mockingly.

"No, of course it isn't! I just don't feel like pulling out everything I've got. That a problem?" Phoenix teased, tucking the bill back into his wallet. Maya just giggled and said something that sounded like: "yeah right," before wandering off to file away more documents.

"When am I gonna get a pay rise, by the way?" she squeaked, puffing out her cheeks. "You've owed me one since I turned nineteen! Which was a while ago!"

_Man, she doesn't know when to shut her mouth, I swear! Ah well._

"Heeeeey, just be thankful that I'm even treating you to lunch! I can't afford much at the moment. Not until I get paid."

_And wait a second. Since when have I even paid her for being my assistant anyway?_

---

Around fifty minutes later, a familiar head poked through the doorway.

"Oh, there she is!" Maya said loudly, smiling. Phoenix muttered a "huh?" before walking over to the radio and switching it off; Maya had insisted twenty minutes earlier that she felt like working to the beat of music. Unfortunately, she had ignored Phoenix's warning of "keep the volume down", turning it up loud enough to drown out any possibility of holding an audible conversation between other people. The tune of some hit song from 2010 ended with a fizzle of static.

"H-hey! Haha, looks like you were having fun in here!"

Phoenix blinked. _Why did the word "fun" bring more than one thing to mind just then._

"Yeah!" Maya giggled, ignoring Phoenix's awkward expression.

"Where's Pearl?"

"We took her down to the station this morning. She had to go back to Kurain for a while."

"Ah, I see!"

"Did you get here alright? The buses are running at stupid times again..."

"It wasn't a problem." Ema confirmed, pleasantly. "I mean, according to my calculations, it takes around 35 minutes to walk the closest..."

Phoenix zoned out; having grown more than accustomed to the student's scientific ramblings. Maya, however, listened attentively with bright eyes.

After a minute, the defense attorney tapped his wristwatch and insisted they leave for lunch.

---

The spot Maya had chosen for lunch was surprisingly nice.

A fifteen minute walk from the office, in fact - which made Phoenix wonder why he hadn't come across this place before. The interior was furnished with neutral coloured walls and napkins were neatly folded atop each table - crimson contrasting against the pale blue tablecloths underneath. There were ordinary tables as well as the characteristic family booths that were popular at larger restaurants. Friendly staff welcomed every patron who walked through the door, and elegant-looking pot-plants were situated here and there, adding some sort of natural flair to the vicinity.

The three of them took a seat at one of the booths near the window.

"Oh! I remember Lana taking me to eat here a few years ago," Ema said excitedly, as if sitting inside a café was the most interesting thing in the world, "The chocolate milkshakes tasted really good!"

"Hehe, and the... Prices? Were they good too?" Phoenix asked nervously, fumbling with the laminated menu in front of the salt shaker, "Because I kinda need to save money at the m - "

"Nonsense, Nick! Stop worrying! It's not that expensive here!" Maya spoke jovially, reaching across the table and poking him in the shoulder.

_I like how she says "not THAT expensive"._ Sarcastic muttering entered his brain once again and he frowned at the idea of having to pay excess in case Maya thought it was cheap enough to order seconds... Or thirds.

Well, it was Maya. He might as well prepare himself just in case she did just that.

"Hello, are you ready to order?"

A pretty waitress decked out in a neatly-trimmed long black skirt and a white shirt stood next to Maya's chair, holding a brown clipboard and a pen in her hands. Short, strawberry-blonde hair danced about her shoulders and a set of pearly white teeth grinned expectantly towards the trio, as light blue eyes surveyed them in interest.

"Yeah..." Phoenix muttered in response, "Um... I'll get this," he blurted out, pointing to a number on the menu. It was a few seconds before he realised, under Ema's puzzled facial expression, that he was actually holding the menu upside down.

"Hun, you want to hold it this way, see?" The waitress laughed, tipping the menu the right way. Phoenix blushed embarrassedly, feeling stupid. "So that's number ninety-six, then? The Greek salad roll?"

"No, number sixty-nine... Sorry, I was holding it upside down so I actually wanted sixty-nine."

Maya and Ema burst out laughing and so did the waitress, before Phoenix gulped at the realisation of what he just said. Several customers near the counter looked at them in surprise.

"What?! No, no, no, no, no, no, NO!" Phoenix spat out, burying his face in his hands before lifting his gaze shyly, "You know what I meant! I can't help it that it happens to be that... That _number_."

"Suuuure, Nick." Maya laughed, as Ema snorted into the hand that was covering her own mouth from hysterics.

"Look," Phoenix breathed, going redder than ever, "I want... The... Grilled chicken sandwich. It's listed as number sixty-nine, okay? God!"

Smiling broadly as if the thoughts: "W_hy of course, you pervert_" were at the front of her mind, the waitress scrawled the order onto her notepad. She ignored Phoenix's attempt at stabbing himself with one of the pre-laid out forks on the place mat, instead turning to the girls.

"And for you two?"

"I'll have a chocolate milkshake and the daily special please!" Ema piped up, gesturing towards the blackboard near the counter that read: "_Daily Special: Ham and cheese toasted croissant_".

"And for you?" The waitress suddenly seemed to take a keen interest in Maya's bizarre Kurain attire, and was gazing at the magatama with a look of curiosity before moving her gaze to the pair of purple beads that were fastened to Maya's locks. Her eyes then darted to look at the slender legs peeking out from under the table. Ema shifted in her seat a little as she observed this.

"Ummmm, wow, so much to choose from! I think I'll get a hamburger, please!"

Phoenix snorted. _Not surprising at all._

"Alright, shouldn't be too long!" The waitress smiled at them and retreated to the kitchens. Phoenix swore he heard her gossip with a co-worker along the way, about a certain "man with spiky hair who was hitting on her".

_Women. Seriously._

As they waited for their meals, Ema suddenly mentioned to Maya about how she saw the waitress looking at her.

"Really?" Maya asked, her eyebrows raised high enough so that they disappeared behind her thick fringe.

"Why does that surprise you?" Phoenix asked her incredulously, as he took a sip from a glass of water that he had poured for himself in the meanwhile, content that this café actually bothered to chill their water instead of leaving it lukewarm like many other places he had eaten at. "I mean, it's not like you're wearing what can be considered 'casual clothing'.

"Hey! At least I don't go around telling attractive waitresses that I want a number sixty-nine!"

"Wh- ?! Maya, don't even _start _with that, you know it was a coincid - "

A voice interrupted him suddenly; one that was distinguishable enough due to the British accent that was suited to its owner's dignified appearance.

"How vulgar."

"Huh?" Phoenix stopped arguing at once, spinning around to see who had spoken, even though he half-knew already who this 'mysterious person' was.

"Mr Edgeworth!" Ema squeaked, going into a mood which could only be best-described as "fangirlism", "I didn't know you ate here!"

"Not on a regular basis, Miss Skye. I just happen to like the coffee." Sure enough, Edgeworth had a steaming take-away coffee cup cradled in his pale hands. He smirked at Phoenix, who was still looking at him as if he had just grown an extra limb.

"Whaddareyoudoinhere?" The defense attorney asked him in what sounded a lot like a drunken slur as opposed to a sober statement of acknowledgement.

"Are those ridiculous spikes of yours creating an obstacle for any train of sensible thought from entering your head, Wright? What does it look like I am doing?"

"I thought you hated coffee..."

"Where on earth did you get that idea from."

"Well, y'know... the teacups and everything... and teacups mean you drink tea... uh... tea... wait, I'm lost."

Edgeworth raised a primed eyebrow at the blue-suited attorney sitting away from him, and exhaled quickly through his nose in an irritable manner.

"Just when I thought you couldn't make any more sense, you grace me with your seemingly never-ending thoughtless remarks. Take some time to think about your statements before judging people, Wright."

_Says the man who picks on me for having spiky hair when he's already completely grey way before thirty._

Phoenix laughed to himself, wondering when Edgeworth would start growing a long white beard. Catching wind of the chuckle, the prosecutor frowned.

"I fail to see what is so hilarious, Wright."

"Ahahaha..."

"When you're done."

Maya and Ema watched with interest, whispering between themselves. After a few seconds of this, Maya quickly asked whether or not Edgeworth wanted to join them, bugging Phoenix to shove aside and make room.

The predictable frown and raised eyebrow was seen yet again. "I'd rather not, thank you, Miss Fey. I really should be getting back to work now."

"Hey, you always work so much, maybe you should chill or something." Phoenix said casually, patting the empty spot next to him. His reply was a silent glare that seemed to miraculously penetrate the veil of wafting steam that rose from the coffee cup held in the other man's hands.

_Why do I even bother._

Phoenix sighed dramatically and rested his chin on the heel of his palm, turning away and pretending to be fascinated by the parking meter he could see on the street outside the large window panels.

"Shoot yourself." the defense attorney mumbled with a shrug, his words slightly muffled due to his slump and the fact that his hand was currently obscuring his mouth.

"I beg your pardon?"

Phoenix wrinkled his nose and sat up straight, no longer leaning on his hand, "I said, 'suit yourself'."

_Wow, why did that sound as if I just told him to shoot himself... ? What the hell._

"Nick!" Maya almost shouted in disbelief, causing a few heads to turn in their direction, "it sounded like you told him to shoot himse -"

Phoenix snorted. "Sorry, I was too occupied staring at the street outside. You know, since it has more personality than Mr Frills over there."

"_Excuse_ me?"

Edgeworth glared at him again, this time almost causing Phoenix to cower under the powerful stare.

"W-well... Ahaha. Hehe..." the spiky-haired lawyer subconsciously scratched behind his neck and grinned sheepishly.

"You seem to be quite fond of making fun of me. Perhaps I should return the favour."

It was Phoenix's turn to quirk an eyebrow this time. _Don't you make fun of me more than I make fun of YOU? _

"But I shan't waste my breath. In fact..." The prosecutor moved forward and sat down neatly in the vacated spot that had been offered to him earlier, pretending not to hear the man next to him let out a "_wha-?" _of surprise, "...I might as well have lunch with you."

"Really? That's great!" Maya squealed, clapping her hands together. Ema showed her enthusiasm as well, before proceeding to write something in her notebook.

"..._Note to self... Mr Edgeworth will give in when pressured enough..."_

Maya peered over her shoulder, but not quickly enough, seeing as Ema had already stowed away the notebook as quickly as she had taken it out.

"No fair!"

"Hmm?"

"N-nothing!"

Phoenix felt a strange feeling surge within him as he felt Edgeworth's body heat in close proximity. He shrugged off the feeling. After all, it was probably more to do with the surprise he felt towards the other man's sudden change of heart.

"So. Why are you here again? I thought you had to go..."

Edgeworth turned to him and steely grey eyes locked onto blue. "Wright, didn't you say yourself that I should, as you call it, '_chill'_? Is there a problem?" he placed his coffee cup on the table and leaned back in his seat, rather stiffly.

"N-no! I mean, it's just... Ah... Never mind."

"Right."

"That's my name!"

"That is not funny in the slightest."

"Sorry... Ahahah... " _Just trying to lighten up the situation a bit, is that illegal?_

"If you don't mind, I am going to order something to eat, I suppose." Edgeworth ignored Phoenix's attempts at hiding his own face in embarrassment, instead occupying himself with the task of summoning a waitress. "Excuse me," he beckoned towards the same girl who had served them earlier. Phoenix groaned.

"Oh! Looks like a friend has joined you lot!" she grinned, winking at Edgeworth, "what would you like?"

Clearing his throat, the magenta-clad man listed off his order and folded the menu in front of him as an indication he was done speaking.

"Alright, won't be long! The other orders are almost done too." She walked off with a smile on her face that was almost unnatural in appearance.

"Does she hit on _everyone_?" Ema blurted out once the waitress was out of earshot, drawing a stare from the other three.

"What?" Maya asked, wide-eyed.

"Well, she was giving Mr Wright looks... And you... And now Mr Edgeworth!"

"... She was hitting on me?" The spirit medium blanched.

"Maya, you're so pretty! Of course she was!" Ema confirmed, before covering her mouth in shock as it dawned on her that she had just complimented the other girl in a way that was more than casual. Maya stared. "W-well... It's true!"

_Okay, either that waitress is bisexual, or I'm missing something here,_ Phoenix thought, watching the two girls make a fuss opposite him. Maya seemed to be going red in the face and the defense attorney looked at her puzzledly.

"Ahehe... Anyway!" Ema tried changing the subject a little; "I suppose _you're_ used to getting such attention, right, Mr Edgeworth?"

The light-haired man looked at her with discountenance, folding his arms and tapping his index finger on his forearm.

"Hardly, I can assure you that much." he mumbled, irritatedly.

Shortly after his answer, the waitress from earlier returned with a tray holding all of their orders. She placed each plate neatly in front of all four patrons, before cheerfully asking if there was anything else she could get them.

"No, I think we're fine, thanks." Phoenix replied.

"Okay, handsome!" the waitress said back to him, smiling cheekily; whether it was in a flirtatious manner or a mocking manner, he had no idea.

"Uhh..."

And with that, she walked away again, leaving behind an uncomfortable silence that was shared between the two lawyers and their female companions. Surprisingly, Edgeworth was the one to break it.

"Looks like you are popular here," he said bluntly, trying to look unfazed. Phoenix could see some sort of glint in his eye as he spoke, though.

_Is he... Jealous that he's not getting enough attention from strangers? And what does he mean by popular? It's my first time dining here!_

"Is that envy I see on your face, Edgeworth?" Phoenix inquired, leaning over and grinning.

The prosecutor turned to him and gave him a look that was neither angry nor entertained - more of a stern expression that usually told others that he was not impressed.

"Don't flatter yourself, Wright."

_Ouch._

Sipping his coffee silently, Edgeworth picked up his fork and poked at the small serving of pasta on his plate, as if trying to find a hidden shard of broken glass or something else that was detrimental to his health.

_Bet he's looking for an excuse to sue this place, ahahaha._

"There's no treasure hidden in the food, Edgeworth. Just eat it." Phoenix mumbled, taking a bite out of his sandwich. _Number sixty nine... Oh god,_ he thought, remembering the tasteless joke made against him some time earlier.

All of a sudden his appetite went down a level.

"Oh no!" Maya cried out, through a mouthful of burger. Phoenix winced as crumbs sprayed his suit.

"What?" he retorted, shocked.

"I forgot to order a drink!"

"Maaaayaaaaa..." Phoenix whined. Edgeworth looked between the pair, wearing an expression of slight annoyance.

"It's okay, Maya!" Ema interjected, "you can share mine!"

The spirit medium muttered something like: "No, it's okay! You drink it!" before Ema pushed the tall glass towards her, offering the same straw she had sipped from.

"Are you sure?" she asked nervously.

"Huh? O-of course!" Ema stuttered, feeling the heat rise to her face. "I don't have a cold or anything, so don't worry!"

"No, it's just..." Maya fumbled with her magatama necklace, "... Well, okay." She smiled and sipped from the drink, recieving a look of happiness from the girl next to her, and two identical expressions of _"what the hell" _from the pair of men opposite them.

"I swear, Maya... You make a big deal out of everything," Phoenix laughed.

"Shush, Nick!"

"S-sorry."

Meanwhile, Edgeworth sat silently, chewing on a mouthful of his meal in a manner that could be labelled as dignified. The defense lawyer next to him couldn't help but stare for a few lingering seconds, in what was originally an attempt to divert his attention away from his assistant.

"What are you staring at?" The prosecutor had swallowed his food and was now apprehending Phoenix with an expression of utmost discontent.

"Ummm... Nothing." Phoenix muttered, turning away.

..._Why WAS I staring?_

Edgeworth let out a sigh and looked down at their place mats, taking note of how the other lawyer was also, like Maya, devoid of any beverage.

"Do you want a drink?" he asked impatiently.

_Did he just ask me if... No way. _Frayed eyebrows raised in response. "No, I'm okay... I'm not thirsty."

"Aw, he's offering you a drink because he feels sorry for you, Nick! Since you're POOR and all!" Maya chided, recieving a giggle from Ema.

_Maya, if you weren't so damned cute I would be angry at you right now._ An embarrassed expression came over him. "I'm paying for you and Ema, so cut it out!"

"Oh, you're paying for them too, Wright?" Edgeworth asked curiously, smirking.

"W-well, yeah... What's so surprising?"

Large hands cupped themselves around the coffee cup again. "Hm... I find that your low income is hardly beneficial to the situation, if I might say so."

"What is it with you and making fun of me all the time?! And you seem to be even more insulting after what happened between us last night!"

He was suddenly aware of how much louder his voice had gotten in the past few moments, as well as the many pairs of eyes fixated on their table.

"Wright, why is it that everything you say results in some sort of public spectacle?" a low growl escaped Edgeworth's throat, surreptitiously.

"That's not true!" Phoenix hissed, before assuring the surrounding customers and kitchen staff that everything was alright between them.

"God knows what these people are thinking now," Edgeworth huffed. Maya and Ema sat there with surprised looks on their faces, taking turns drinking out of the steadily emptying glass of milkshake.

"They are probably thinking what a handsome man you are," Phoenix teased.

"What."

"Well, stab me if I'm just trying to lessen the thick fog of PMS that is surrounding your area of the table."

"What."

Ema suddenly spoke, almost timidly. "Uh, Mr Wright... Maybe we should go now..."

Maya nodded, piling her now empty plate on top of Ema's empty one.

Edgeworth swallowed and moved his plate and cup as well, standing up smoothly. "I couldn't agree more." He moved in long strides towards the counter to pay for his order, followed closely by the two girls.

_And as usual, I'm left behind... _Phoenix sulked, eventually walking after them like the reject of the pack.

Taking out his wallet as he approached the counter, the defense attorney thumbed out the notes and proceeded to hand them over to the staff member standing behind the polished jarrah, before a voice paused him.

"I'll pay."

"... I'm sorry, did you just say...?"

"Yes, Wright. Why are you so shocked."

"... Uh..."

"Aw, thanks Mr Edgeworth!" Maya grinned, rocking on her heels. Ema was smiling widely by her side .

"That's so nice of you, Mr Edgeworth!"

_They're all over him like bees on a bouquet of roses._

"Yeah... Yeah thanks, I guess." Phoenix grinned.

"Oh, you don't have to thank me, Wright. You're paying for your own, after all."

"Huh?!"

"Do you not understand English? Last time I observed, you were an English-speaking man born in the United States."

"W-well yeah..." i_He's such a bastard!_

"That'll be eighteen dollars and 95 cents, sir." The young man behind the counter asked, receiving the money from Edgeworth and placing it in the till. "Thank you for dining with us, enjoy the rest of your day."

Nodding in thanks, Edgeworth stepped to the side as Phoenix miserably counted out his change to pay for his order.

_Oh well, at least I save money, just paying for myself._

All four of them walked out of the cafe, both girls looking content and the two lawyers looking serious. Phoenix pretended not to be aware of Edgeworth's presence, but in the end, he ended up having to pay attention to him as the prosecutor cleared his throat softly.

"Consider this a favour, Wright."

"Hm?"

"Well, I just saved you from having to spend too much, didn't I?"

_iOh, so now he's the hero or something?_

Maya and Ema walked ahead of them, laughing about something Phoenix couldn't quite make out.

"Hey," Phoenix stopped in his tracks, blocking Edgeworth's path. The two girls didn't seem to notice and kept on walking. "I never asked you to pay, did I?"

A smirk and a roll of the eyes insulted him again, "Just accept the fact that I did something nice enough for you. Now do move aside, I need to get back to work."

_Nice? You made me look like an idiot after offering to pay for all of us and then leaving me to pay for myself in the end..._

_... Then again, he never specified..._

"Speaking of work," Phoenix muttered, ignoring the last statement, "why i_did_ you join us for lunch? You seemed awfully set on returning to your office, then you just suddenly _sat down _next to me."

There was the slight drone of 3:00pm traffic flowing down the streets adjacent to them, and Phoenix waited for the other man's answer while trying to drown out the noise of impatient drivers honking at whoever was blocking the road.

Continuing to walk again at a brisk pace as Phoenix kept up with him, Edgeworth replied, "Well, maybe I just felt like proving to you that, contrary to popular belief, I do engage in social interaction from time to time."

"Key words: i_time to time/i_," Phoenix repeated, laughing.

Edgeworth rolled his eyes again as their shoes made dull noises against the cement with each step, "... I, unlike you, don't waste my time. I get paid by the hour and I am expected to fulfil the task of making sure all of my work is completed within whatever time limit I am given. That is what a lawyer does, no?"

"Yeah, but..." Smart ass._ Why don't you just award yourself that "King of Prosecutors" trophy all over again._

"Will you shift aside, please?"

"Huh?"

"You're in my way again, Wright. I need to get into my _car_."

"Oh." _When the hell did we end up in front of his car? I need to pay more attention..._

Phoenix hadn't observed that his companion's vehicle was indeed parked at the side of the road, about 100 metres away from the café...And that they were now standing in front of it.

"Hurry up, Nick!" Maya shouted at him, from up ahead.

"Wh - just wait! I'll be there in a sec!"

"Why are you even still here with me, Wright? Go and catch up with them."

Pressing the central alarm de-activator on his set of keys, Edgeworth opened the driver's door and was about to get in, before he turned to Phoenix.

"I'll see you in court."

"Is that your favourite way of saying goodbye, or what?"

There was an awkward silence and Edgeworth exhaled loudly before lowering himself behind the wheel, extending a hand to grip on the car door handle to pull it shut. He winded down the window and tilted his head out, simultaneously starting up the vehicle - the engine coming to life with a soft roar.

"It's not like I'm never going to see you again, so stop complaining." A ghost of a smile graced his lips and he pulled on his seatbelt.

Phoenix just stared sceptically. _Did he just... Smile? _ The expression almost seemed alien to him when worn on the face of a person who rarely displayed it.

"I'll see you later, then. Is that better?"

"Huh? Oh... Yeah. Ahaha..."

Not responding to this, Edgeworth pulled out of his parking space and drove off. Phoenix swore, looking through the back window, that he saw the man raise his right hand up in what was unmistakably a wave.

And without knowing it, he was also waving back; smiling and feeling a little better than he had earlier.


	3. Chapter Three

**_Author's Notes:  
_**

Chapter Threeeeeeee! D: Ahaha I hope this story isn't becoming boring for anybody. I love to write long stories when I have the time so. Yes. This one will get longer.

WHAT AM I ON ABOUT 3 CHAPTERS ISN'T LONG HOW ABOUT I JUST SHUTUP.

And lol ... "Kickwell". Sorry.

**Disclaimer: The characters and settings created by CAPCOM that are featured in this story are solely owned by their creators. I do not claim them as mine in any way, shape or form. I am not recieving monetary profit from having written this story and no copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

**"Jumping to Conclusions"**

_***~Chapter Three~***_

***

Miles Edgeworth sat down on one of the singular sofas in his ornate living room, sipping Earl Grey tea from a small teacup balanced neatly on top of a matching saucer. It was 11:20pm and he had just finished a very late night at the office, having been the only remaining prosecutor there after hours. Detective Gumshoe had bothered him all afternoon, wondering why his lunch break was longer than usual and that he had 3 more files to sort through before he could continue with the current homicide case he was pursuing.

Telling the detective to leave him alone for the time being, Miles had abruptly seized the extra files and ordered to be left in peace otherwise a "pay cut" would no doubt be organised.

_"Yes sir, Mr Edgeworth!" _Gumshoe had replied hastily, making his way out of the office looking flustered.

The remainder of the afternoon was nothing but hard work, taking minute breaks to gain nourishment and of course, the inevitable bathroom break that arrived now and again. The afternoon hours had dissolved into night, and Miles was left in his office until 10:30pm, when he at last decided that going home was a good idea after all.

Not like he would be given a rest _there_ either, but anyway. The soft cushioning of the fine-crafted chair was a welcome change from the leather of his office seat.

_As if I didn't have enough work as it is..._ Miles thought to himself now, turning over the pages with little enthusiasm. He took another sip of his tea and bent down to give his collie an affectionate scratch behind the ears.

"Looks like it's going to be another night of no sleep, Pesu." he spoke to the dog, receiving a concerned look back at him from behind moist, big brown eyes. Pesu placed a paw on her owner's lap and lowered it again, as if hoping it would offer some form of consolation.

Miles sighed and placed the files on the coffee table nearby, taking a few seconds to indulge in a well-earned break. He stretched his legs out and groaned as a knot of muscle in his shoulders hindered his movements and caused a bout of pain. Subconsciously raising one arm, he kneaded at the sore area with clenched teeth.

_I probably shouldn't spend so much time hunched over paperwork... I guess Wright's correct for once._

Wright...

Lunch with him earlier today day had been... Interesting. Of course, the two young girls accompanying them made the situation less awkward in terms of two males sitting next to each other alone.

And speaking of lunch with Wright... Why did he even bother to sit with him?

_I could have just LEFT, like I originally intended to._

Yet something made him want to stay.

_"Hey, you always work so much, maybe you should chill or something."_

Miles smiled to himself.

_Wright... Why are you so concerned for me all the time? I don't understand._

----

"Hah! You're in jail!"

Phoenix groaned in defeat as Maya pointed this out. They were both playing classic Monopoly on the attorney's living room floor, since they had nothing better to do after work. Phoenix had successfully made three rounds of the playing board so far, yet now he had landed himself in jail after rolling three doubles in a row.

_Just my luck._

Especially since his young assistant was winning anyway.

"Whoo! I've got so much more money than you..."

_And wouldn't it be great if it was like that in reality? That way you wouldn't have to leech off my pay check every time you crave burgers..._

"Hmmm... Nick?"

"Yeah?"

"I just noticed you always use the wheelbarrow playing piece whenever we play Monopoly!"

"Uh... Well, it's lucky for me, I guess. Though not this time. Ehehe..."

_Then again, the luckiest I've ever gotten while playing a board game was ... I can't even remember anymore._

"Yeah! You're losing so badly! I mean, you've paid rent to me on Vermont Avenue about twice now..."

"Maya, isn't it kind of pointless playing with two people? There's not much fun in it." Phoenix inspected the loose button on his shirt cuff as he said this, obviously looking for something less finance-oriented to do. Something that didn't revolve around make-believe bankruptcy or miniature plastic hotels... Or fake prisons superimposed on laminated corners of playing boards.

"You're right!" Maya grinned, taking Phoenix by surprise, before she unceremoniously swept everything off the game board with a brush of her purple-sleeved arm. "Let's play Twister!"

"Huh? That's..."

..._Even more pointless._

"How about we go for a walk, instead?"

Maya put her index finger to pursed lips in what looked to be deliberately intensified thought. "Sure!" she agreed after aeons, as Phoenix went to grab a coat from the stand behind the door. Locking up, the pair exited the apartment and made their way down to the local park.

The nightly breeze was pleasantly cool on the defense lawyer's face as he took slow, even strides down the footpath of the small park alongside Maya. She suddenly picked up the speed, twirling in a particularly strong breeze that seemed to come out of nowhere. Laughing animatedly, the spirit medium let out a small and happy sigh as the wind ruffled her robes and sent her long hair rippling around her like a sea of ebony silk.

Phoenix stopped in his tracks and observed his friend with amusement and growing interest. He was downwind of her, and the scent of incense and floral shampoo met his nostrils as she danced in the gust. Chuckling to himself, Phoenix walked up to her and threw an arm over her shoulder casually.

Maya let out a small "oh!" of shock as the man embraced her lightly, feeling mixed emotions of surprise and embarrassment.

"N-Nick, what are you doing?" she giggled, brushing his arm away and turning to face him.

Phoenix shrugged. "You'll get cold if you keep dancing in the wind like a gypsy," he laughed. Maya scowled at him and pouted.

"Nothing to worry about!" she said afterwards, winking. "I'm used to the cold! After all, I meditate under freezing waterfalls every morning when I'm in Kurain, remember?"

Phoenix's expression wavered as an entertaining memory flooded back into his head. Maya had once persuaded him to meditate with her. It didn't exactly end well... Especially when Phoenix's high vulnerability to catching colds left him shivering pathetically in a futon with a hot water bottle hugged to his chest and a thermometer sticking out from between his chapped lips. Generous doses of hot chicken soup and Coldkiller X did little to help the situation, unfortunately.

The two of them continued to walk through the park, talking about various things and observing the city lights through the chilled leaves of the mimosas. Once or twice they passed a couple kissing together on a bench, to which Maya blushed and directed her attention to something completely unrelated, like a stray tabby that had darted into the flowering bushes that grew opposite the gates.

Phoenix noticed her behaviour and laughed yet again. "You're so predictable," he muttered, recieving a puzzled stare in response. "Don't worry," he assured the young woman, and they continued to walk, making their way back in the opposite direction. The silence that now hung about between the pair was steadily unnerving.

"So..." Phoenix made an attempt at small talk, "... What were you and Ema talking about before she left?"

He had noticed Maya and Ema's prolonged conversation before the brown-haired girl took her departure earlier that afternoon, insisting that she had experiments to sort out and things to record. The defense attorney hadn't exactly paid much attention to the rest.

Maya smiled. "Oh nothing important, really." She linked her hands behind her back as she walked alongside Phoenix, her sandals crunching softly against dry, crisp leaves that had fallen onto the path. "We're planning on going out some place fun for the weekend... Maybe we'll bring Pearly if she's able to make it by then. Actually, we discussed this last night too... You know, while you were cooking dinner."

"Oh, I see."

"Yeah, and you know what?"

"Hmm?"

"Ema's great to spend time with!" Maya grinned, clear joy spreading over her face, "I mean, we have _so _much in common! It's like she's the friend I've always... wanted? Did that sound strange?"

Phoenix grinned back. It was so endearing to hear Maya talk like that... It was typical of her. She sounded lonely, and of course she was... Having grown up with only a big sister who had ended up being murdered.

Basically, Phoenix was her only good friend, and Pearls was her caring cousin. Though unfortunately, the young child was constantly being pressured to further develop her spiritual power back in Kurain, and thus had little time to spend with Maya at her leisure.

It was good that Maya had found another friend to share interests.

_Now if only Edgeworth was on such good terms with me. We used to be good friends as children... Best friends._

Blue eyes surveyed the night sky in thought.

_We always looked out for one another and always laughed together... _

_...Whatever happened to that...?_

"Nick... You okay?"

The spiky-haired man was alerted to curious dark eyes peering at him in worry. The purple-clad spirit medium was craning her neck to peek up at Phoenix.

"Ah... Y-yeah! Yeah I'm okay. Why?"

Maya's mouth twisted into a small knot of concern. "You looked a bit spaced out for a sec, that's all." she responded quietly, ignoring the sounds of dull late-night traffic carrying on the wind.

"I... I was just... Wondering about something." Large hands inserted themselves into the pockets of the warm coat. "You know... Nothing special."

"Oh, now I do want to know!" Maya said stubbornly, gripping onto Phoenix's arm and tugging at it childishly. "Tell meeeee..."

Phoenix sighed and grunted impatiently. "Nah."

"Don't think I'm gonna give up that easily!"

"It's nothing! Cut it out."

"Nick," Maya let go of his arm and moved in front of him, blocking his path. She stood there stubbornly with puffed out cheeks and her hands on her hips, reminding Phoenix of the time she had been denied entry into a Nickel Samurai event show after losing her admission pass.

"Whuh..."

"This is about Mr Edgeworth, isn't it?"

...

...

...

_What the hell... How the ... How did she know THAT?!_

_..._

_..._

"No, what makes you think that?"

"You are SUCH a bad liar Nick! It's written all over your face!"

Phoenix tried his best not to visualise "I am thinking about Miles Edgeworth" scrawled on his face in black permanent marker.

"W-why would I be thinking about him?"

Maya giggled. "Maybe because he joined us for lunch today?"

"So?"

"Well, it was so surprising... Especially after he snobbed you off last night!"

_Snobbed me o - _

"Maybe he's just bipolar or something, who knows? You make it sound like I was trying to ask him to marry me or whatever. All I did was try to crack a joke and he got his underwear in a knot about it."

"His underwear did WHAT?!"

There was an awkward silence as several other people walking in the park turned to stare.

"No no, Maya... It's an expression... I... Uh... Never mind." Phoenix tried to laugh it off, but was unsuccessful as a strange, choking sound escaped him instead.

"Suuuure." Sceptical grey eyes looked at him accusingly, a hint of mockery staining the gaze.

...

...

_Now I REALLY don't want to know what she's thinking._

"Could you keep your voice down just a tad?" the lawyer nervously scratched himself behind the neck as he said this.

"Why?" the nineteen year-old's voice was positively dripping with intrigue.

"Because... What you're saying makes it sound like I'm _gay_ or something."

_I did not just say that._

To this, he had received an entertained snort from the girl next to him.

"Ahaha! Imagine if you were!"

"I'd rather _not_, Maya. I'm ... Straight."

"What was with the hesitation, huh?"

Phoenix knew, even without looking at her face, that Maya was wearing a sly grin right this very moment.

"I didn't _mean_ to hesitate! Look, can we just go back to the apartment..."

"But you're the one who wanted to walk out here in the first place! Oh, you're not being let off the hook just like that!"

Phoenix ignored her jeering, walking with a now speeded-up gait back towards the complex. His face was burning up, whether it was from embarrassment or the sudden increase in movement, he had yet to surmise. It was probably both, actually.

"Hey! Wait up, Nick!" Maya caught up to him just as they re-entered the automatic gates of the apartment building. Phoenix felt smaller hands clasp onto his upper arm again as the girl pulled herself forward so that she was walking side-by-side with her friend. "Are you... Angry?"

"No."

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay. I'm not angry." Phoenix made sure she got the message by giving her an affectionate pat on the head with his free hand. Their walking pace slowed considerably as they entered the building and took the elevator back up to the fourth floor.

"Is it true that Mr Edgeworth really hates these things?" Maya enquired randomly, indicating to the elevator in general as she leant on Phoenix's shoulder. The numbers on the small overhead blinked orange as they rose past each corresponding floor.

"Yeah." Phoenix replied quietly, before flinching. "Wait, why are we talking about him again?"

"Huuuuuuuuh... If it wasn't such a big deal, then why did you twitch like that?" Maya prodded him in the ribs, just as they stopped at their designated floor. The outlet slid open and the pair stepped out clumsily before hastily walking to apartment number 203.

Pulling out his set of keys and unlocking the door quickly, Phoenix muttered a "stop nitpicking on me," as they entered and closed the door behind them.

Now in the confines of the apartment living room, Maya threw herself onto the couch and sighed dramatically. Phoenix took a seat next to her, merely looking her over with a confused glance before her voice cut through.

"You're starting to act like he was!"

"Huh."

"Well, he got angry after you cracked a joke, now you're angry when _I _crack a joke!"

"I'm guessing you're trying to link up similarities between me and him so that you can go off about us being gay together all over again, right?"

Maya sat up properly and stared at him directly in the face. "Actually, I was going to change the subject and ask you where you put that magatama again... It needs to be charged."

"...It's in my bedside drawer at the moment, I keep forgetting to take it with m -" Phoenix paused. "Wait, so you're through with interrogating me, then?"

The girl facing him rolled her eyes. "Duh," she answered, like it was the most obvious thing in the universe.

Phoenix breathed out in relief. "Good."

"It's obvious you like him anyway."

...

...

..._ What the hell?_

"Oh, come on. Enough already."

"... The way you got all embarrassed... And the way you kept staring at him earlier... And the way..."

Phoenix abruptly slammed a hand on the coffee table. "OBJECTION! I do _not _like Edgeworth in that... That ... whatever you're thinking."

"Uh-huh."

"Seriously, Maya! I mean, he's such a jerk! Why would I even consider liking him? I'm straight anyway! I've never b - "

"Whatever." Maya smiled to herself and shook off her sandals in preparation for bringing her feet up onto the couch so she could rest her chin on her knees. Her slender hands took hold of the nearby remote and she switched on the television, flicking to a channel with the late night news.

Some bulletin about a new actor starring in an upcoming Beryllium Samurai film caught her attention and she watched with gleaming eyes, pretending not to notice Phoenix's stunned face which was frozen in chagrin.

_Is it just me, or does something distracting always show up for Maya's convenience whenever I try to voice my reasoning? And... BERYLLIUM Samurai, now? Out of all the elements they could pick..._

Deciding to wait until the bulletin was finished before he would continue his argument, Phoenix settled back onto an old cushion, shrugging off his coat. Eventually, after what seemed like a longer time than necessary to broadcast something about a potential actor in an upcoming film about metallic superheroes, the newscaster passed the attention to his co-reporter. A winding coverage of sports aired shortly afterwards.

"_... And American Football League champion, Raymond Kickwell, will be representing the -"_

Maya instantaneously switched off the television, muttering something about how boring sports headlines were. She stretched out her arms, yawning a little. "Well then... You look like you're dying to say something!" she pointed out, noticing Phoenix's defiant facial expression.

"I'm not gay."

"Haha! I never said you were."

"You keep implying that I am!"

"Isn't it funny how you just blurted out "I'm not gay", even though I already forgot about it?" Maya said, repeating Phoenix's statement in a deeper tone to annoy him. "But don't worry, Nick. Even if you were, I'd still treat you the same. After all, _if you were gay, that'd be o-kay_...!" She spoke the final part with an exaggerated sing-song voice - one that was reminiscent of a character from a certain musical Phoenix couldn't quite remember the name of at this point in time.

"What's _to_ forget_?_ It's not like I was gay in the _first_ place for you to forget about it!"

"Now you're not making any sense, Nick! I'm all confused..." Maya frowned and pouted. Phoenix stared at her disbelievingly. There was another silence between them.

...

...

... "What if I said I had feelings for _you_, huh?"

...

...

...

_What did I just - ?_

There was a moment in which he expected the floor to open up... To swallow him into oblivion so that he would never again be graced with the privilege of gazing upon a daylight-bathed world.

"Uh... Nick? Did you just..."

Phoenix breathed and looked down at his hands, flushed. "Yeah, I guess I did."

And just like that, the young man stood up and started to walk to his bedroom as if he was the only one in the building.

"Wait... Nick..." Maya hadn't moved from her seat when Phoenix slowly turned to face her again. She too was looking down in the same way that he had been only moments before. "I... I'm sorry."

She timidly stood up and sidled towards him, arms outstretched a little. She met with him in a warm hug, to which the defense attorney returned, albeit clumsily.

"Is it true though? You're not just... Saying that?" she mumbled into his chest, feeling ignorant.

"No... It's true." A warm hand rested on the back of the teenager's head.

Maya smiled and pulled back, looking at him affectionately. Phoenix didn't really know what to feel.

--------------------

The weekend had arrived.

The days leading up to it hadn't exactly been momentous... Well, they had been in regard to the confessions between Phoenix and Maya that fateful Wednesday night. So much had happened leading up to that...

As for their newly established relationship, Phoenix wasn't sure whether to be open about it, or whether to keep it under wraps. Particularly when there was the whole: "boss dating employee" matter to take into consideration. That kind of thing didn't exactly go ignored most of the time.

Nonetheless, things were running relatively smoothly so far. It wasn't as if anybody had much nerve to link a spirit medium with a lawyer in terms of work area, anyway. Disregarding those rarer exceptions, of course. This proved profitable for the pair, who managed to get away with gestures such as holding hands or hugging in public. They hadn't exactly told that many people they were dating yet. But eventually, it was inevitable that word would get around.

...

And now, here they were, sitting inside one of the capsules of the recently built Ferris wheel at the amusement park.

_What have I gotten myself into..._

Phoenix looked out the window of the capsule and almost immediately regretted it. He never was really good with heights, in all honesty. The sight of the city below was almost stunning enough to distract him from his oncoming nausea, but it just didn't cut it in the end.

"Nick, you look like you've seen a ghost! Don't tell me you're scared of heights!" Maya snuggled against his arm and giggled. Meanwhile, their other companions, Ema and Pearl, sat opposite them with equally amused faces. Pearl had come back down from Kurain only that morning, just in time for their outing. She squealed as soon as she saw her cousin cling to Phoenix's arm.

"I KNEW you'd end up together! How romantic...!" She sighed in her small voice, holding her little palms up to her face adoringly, as the blue-eyed man nodded uncertainly whilst clutching his stomach and holding his free hand to his forehead.

_Because me feeling like I'm about to be sick within a closed-in pod 300 feet above the ground is the most loveable thing ever, I'm sure._

Ema, meanwhile, had turned to look out the window on her side, suddenly going quiet. Phoenix had diverted his attention away from his illness long enough to notice that the girl was fiddling with a lock of her hair, seemingly uninterested in anything else. Her gaze looked a little... sad?

_That's strange... She seemed entertained only moments ago._

"Ema, are you okay?" Phoenix asked her shakily, as his nausea threatened to creep up on him again.

The young science-fanatic jolted in response, wide-eyed. "S-sorry!" she stuttered, readjusting the spectacles perched on her head, even though they didn't _need _readjusting, "I'm okay! I was just... Yeah."

"Just what?" it was Maya's turn to be worried now. She twisted to face Ema as the Ferris wheel's slow, continual rotation brought them - thankfully - closer to the drop-off where they would soon be disembarking from.

"Oh... It's nothing to worry about." Ema smiled in a somewhat allaying manner, before the door to their pod was opened and the ride-supervisor beckoned them to exit politely.

Phoenix was more than thankful and he half-lurched out of the confinement, welcoming the fresh air like it was his first breath.

"Hey! Next time you gotta tell me if you're not good with any rides in the future, okay?" Maya asked him sweetly, tugging him by the sleeve. "Ah! Look, Nick! They have cotton candy!"

_That was a speedy change of subject._

"Is food all you ever think about?"

"Well, I'm also thinking about sharing it with you, does that count?"

...

"Sure, why not. But I don't exactly feel like eating anything at this very moment."

"Oh, don't you worry! I have an extra stomach I can keep your share in."

_Just how many stomachs does she claim to HAVE?!_

Phoenix face-palmed as he was pulled towards the stand. His savings were already being drained with each stop they made, and he winced internally. Maya bought a giant pink cotton candy and immediately bit into it like a starved caveman. The sugary dye stained her lips a brilliant fuchsia and she offered some of the cloying food to Pearl, who pulled off a chunk and tasted it.

"This is almost as sweet as my mother's strawberry desserts!"

"Almost, Pearly!" Maya grinned, with pink-coloured teeth. Her aunt was currently not residing with them, due to a certain incident... Pearl seemed to be holding up with it fairly well for a young child who had been separated from her only parent. "Aunt Morgan makes really sweet things... It compensates for the bitter tea she brews," she added to Ema, who nodded in understanding.

"Oh, Mystic Maya?" Pearl's little voice rose as she spoke.

"Yes, Pearly?"

"Are you and Mr Nick going to get married soon?"

At these words, Ema turned away and preoccupied herself with watching two young children and their father compete in a shoot-for-prizes game with plastic rifles.

"Uh... " Maya awkwardly laughed and held Phoenix's hand at the same time. The lawyer frowned as he felt sugar-coated fingers intertwine with his own, the unpleasant stickiness doing nothing to lessen the strange situation of being questioned by a little girl about wedding plans.

"N-no..." he blurted out, sounding almost like he wanted to run for it. Maya blushed and Pearl stamped her foot.

"Then when?" she nagged, giving Phoenix the best "you'd-better-be-married-soon-or-else" glare she could muster.

"Pearly, look! Why don't we go and try out that fishing game over there! First prize is that starfish wind-chime!"

Pearl didn't back down. "It's just a wind-chime, Mystic Maya! Your future with Mr Nick is more important!"

By now they were gathering glances from fellow passers-by and stand owners alike.

_Oh please... _Phoenix felt himself suddenly wanting to flee all over again. He glanced over at Ema in addition, who hadn't said a word the entire duration following the Ferris wheel.

_She really seems out of it._

And she was. The usually cheery Ema Skye was little more than melancholic for the rest of the day, showing little to no enthusiasm in anything. If Phoenix didn't know better, the young student looked rejected... Lonely...

... Jealous?

It was at that moment, while looking at Ema as she stared at anywhere but him and Maya, that Phoenix realised something.

He wondered if Maya noticed it too.

Maybe he was just being an idiot, jumping to conclusions as usual.

--------------------------------

"There's something I gotta take care of back in Kurain. I'll ride back on the train with Pearly, sort it out, and come back to the city when it's done with, okay?" Maya said that late afternoon, kissing Phoenix on the cheek as they waited at the train station.

"You told me the same thing this morning, don't stress," Phoenix smiled, pulling her into a hug and doing the same to Pearls, who looked positively ecstatic about the fact that her cousin was being embraced by the defense attorney.

"You're going to sort out your wedding plans, right? A traditional-style wedding and everything!" the little girl burst out, waving her thin arms around similarly to how a fashion designer waved their arms around when finally satisfied with their work after several tedious weeks of re-designing.

"N-not exactly, Pearly." Maya smiled, looking away from Phoenix and focusing her gaze on the train tracks.

Ema was still with them of course, but her sudden quiet mood-change had kept a hold on her and refused to let go.

"Ema, cheer up! We won't know what's wrong until you tell us!" Maya went up to her and took the other girl's hands in her own, swinging their arms playfully. Ema pulled away and looked up at her.

"I'm okay." she said quietly.

"Awww, but did you have fun today? You didn't really look like you - "

"Stop worrying, Maya. I'm alright."

Phoenix looked at the pair of them in concern. Ema looked distant and slightly more upset than earlier. Maya must have noticed it too, because she had suddenly leant forward to embrace the brown-haired girl in a tight hug.

"Be happy, okay?"

Ema looked startled now, and a blush crept up her cheeks. This was only worsened as Maya leant in to kiss her on the cheek quickly just as the train pulled into the station.

"M-Maya... Your train's here!" Ema squeaked, pushing the spirit medium towards the train doors which were parting open. Pearl entered it first, waving and shouting something about marriage before Maya entered the carriage after her, putting a hand over the child's mouth and giggling nervously. She blew kisses towards Phoenix who grinned sheepishly.

"Bye Nick! I'll see you soon!" she turned to Ema before the doors closed. "Bye Ema! Love you!"

The parting exclamation was said casually... Innocently...

... The same way teenage girls usually spoke to their friends.

Despite this, Ema blushed more than ever, and Phoenix noticed it.

The train departed and the two mediums continued to wave until they could no longer see the platform.

Now it was just Phoenix and Ema, standing next a ticket machine in a deserted station, save for the scattered group of passengers who had just walked off the last train and were quickly moving along.

"So... Should we just go and get dinner now, then?" Phoenix piped up, breaking the small silence between them. "Let's go eat at Eldoon's, I've got some money to spare... I think."

Ema smiled and followed him out of the station.


	4. Chapter Four

**_Author's Notes:_**

LOL sorry if the characterisation is way off. D: I TRY GAIZ.

**Disclaimer: The characters and settings created by CAPCOM that are featured in this story are solely owned by their creators. I do not claim them as mine in any way, shape or form. I am not recieving monetary profit from having written this story and no copyright infringement is intended.**

**

* * *

**

**"Jumping to Conclusions"**

_***~Chapter Four~***_

***

They had eaten their fill a couple of hours later and Phoenix still had leftover change, luckily enough.

It probably helped that Ema didn't plough her way through dishes of food the same way that Maya did, though.

They left the noodle stand, and Ema mentioned quietly about how she found Mr Eldoon's noodles extremely salty, and his harmonica playing quite interesting to listen to... Like listening to someone tell a story through metal chords.

Together, the attorney and the eighteen year-old walked down the lamp-post lighted street; Phoenix pursuing an empty soda can with his feet like a soccer ball. The tin rattle sounded loudly with each kick, bringing a source of entertainment to the otherwise slightly frustrated lawyer.

"Mr Wright?" Ema abruptly spoke, as Phoenix kicked the can down the side of the road for the ninth time.

"Yes?" Phoenix answered her almost instantly, after a well-aimed knock that sent the dented cylinder of aluminium flying straight over a gutter and into the darkness where it was never seen again, "What is it?"

There was a small air of unease wafting around the student before she spoke again. "How do you know when... Uh... When you're in love with someone?"

Phoenix's walking pace slowed by more than half. "I guess..." he took a breath, "I guess you just feel... I don't know," he waved his hands around as if trying to search for words to pluck from the atmosphere.

_Good going Phoenix, looks like dating advice is not your forte. Don't quit your day job._

He could almost feel Ema's intense stare pressing into him as she waited for him to answer completely.

Brushing a hand through his black spikes, the attorney tried his best to continue like he hadn't just been interrupted by his own sarcastic thought patterns. "From what I've heard, love feels like..." he scratched his chin habitually, "... Like you are on cloud nine? I think?"

_You suck, Phoenix. Really._

Ema regarded him with a twisted smile of puzzled intrigue, "Well, I figured that much... But how do you _know _when you're on cloud nine?"

_Why do I always end up playing counsellor to everyone? Larry... In particular. Anyway._

"I read once that people can tell they're in love because they can't stop thinking about that person," the lawyer blurted out, sounding nervous, "... They'd do anything for them and they feel happiest when they are around them. You get... Butterflies in your stomach or something?"

_Well, now it sounds like I spend my time reading magazines intended for teenage girls. I don't know what to think any more._

Ema was now looking down at the asphalt silently. "Oh. Thanks, Mr Wright."

"No problem!" Phoenix accepted her gratitude with a more enthusiastic approach, "how come you wanted to know anyway?"

The brown-eyed girl's mouth curved up into a factual smile. "For science of course!" she said brightly, pulling out her notebook and scrawling something on one of the pages. Phoenix wondered how she was even able to properly see what she was writing to begin with.

_Love goes well with science? Who would have thought._

"You're not fooling me," Phoenix chuckled, picking up the pace, "you're in love with someone, aren't you?"

"No!" Ema retorted, stowing away her notebook and clicking her pen so that the nib disappeared into the canister, "I just ... wanted to know!"

"Why?" Phoenix persisted, teasingly, "I doubt it's because you want to design a blueprint for creating a match-making machine."

There was a shaky laugh as Ema took in what he had said. "Fine, you got me." She admitted, looking up at the nearest street lamp and sighing.

"The thing about you being in love, or the thing about you designing a match-making machine?"

"The... The first one."

"Ah."

"Yeah." the girl fiddled with her lab coat sleeves as Phoenix watched, wondering why she always wore that white garment even when she _wasn't _investigating. Just like how Maya was always seen in that shortened Kurain kimono.

"So... Who's the lucky guy, then?"

_Or... girl?_

"Um," Ema's eyes shot back down to the pavement as they continued walking, their destination looming into view, "..."

Phoenix regarded his companion from his peripheral vision, not wanting her to feel awkward or pressured into telling him what she probably didn't _want_ to tell him. Eventually, Ema just laughed.

"It's a secret." she smiled, tapping her nose with her index finger in a quirky fashion.

"I see," Phoenix chuckled.

"... And..." Ema looked downcast again, "... it's not like they'd fall for me anyway. They already have someone else."

The defense attorney frowned. "Oh... I'm sorry." he said, sympathetically. "Uh, maybe you'll find another person? You know what they say: 'There are plenty of fish in the sea, right?"

_I'm so not good at comforting people._

"Haha," Ema laughed lightly, "yeah, I suppose so..."

Phoenix bit his tongue and looked ahead. "Hey, so do you know if Lana's going to regain her position as Chief Prosecutor soon?" he asked, changing the subject as they walked up the stairs to the door of the High Prosecutor's Office building. Lana had been demoted from her position quite a long time ago, all because of her involvement in the murder of Detective Bruce Goodman. Memories of the case flooded Phoenix's head as he glanced at the young girl accompanying him, remembering how sad and desperate she had been at the time.

"She hasn't received any notification yet, so I'm not exactly sure."

They entered the building and headed towards an elevator located to the left of the foyer. Ema muttered something about Lana spending too much time drowning in paperwork these days, to which Phoenix grinned and pointed out that it reminded him of a certain someone.

"You mean Mr Edgeworth?" Ema giggled, as they stepped out onto the twelfth floor.

Coincidentally, Lana's office was located on the same floor as the aforementioned prosecuting attorney. Phoenix merely had to turn his head towards the end of the corridor to spot the polished wood door, the engraved name plate indicating that "Miles Edgeworth" worked within that room.

_Bet he's still in there, buried under files, as usual._

_... Hang on... Why should I care about what he's up to?_

Ema knocked on the door in front of them, and Phoenix snapped back to attention, turning his gaze away from Edgeworth's closed office down the hall.

There was the sound of a doorknob turning and Lana Skye faced them, smiling warmly.

"Hey Lana! Sorry we're late!" Ema exclaimed, smiling right back at her sister. It was good to see how much more happier the pair of them looked together, as opposed to how they had been two years ago.

"Oh, Ema... Mr Wright, hello. I'm almost finished with work here." Lana stepped back and gestured for them to step inside. Phoenix took note of how tidy Lana kept her office space, similar to how Mia had organised the "Fey and Co. Law Offices" before her passing. Files were stacked in a row on the white shelves close to the neat desk, which supported a pen holder and several collections of organised files. There were many framed certificates of appreciation and awards that were mounted precisely on the otherwise spotless walls.

"Do have a seat, please." Lana beckoned them to sit down on the dark brown sofa next to a pot plant that looked like the twin of Charley, a miniature palm that resided back at Phoenix's office.

Sitting down clumsily, the defense attorney twiddled his thumbs as Ema lowered herself next to him.

"Thank you for taking her out today, Mr Wright," Lana said politely, sorting some papers into her small, black briefcase.

"It was no trouble, really!" Phoenix said, going red. His tendency to blush when shown gratitude didn't falter this time, either. Ema smiled and mentioned to her older sister that Phoenix had been kind enough to buy her dinner too.

"_And _you walked her back here safely, as well." Lana added, "Even though she _is_ eighteen." The older woman's lips curved upwards into a teasing smirk directed at her sibling as Ema blew a raspberry. Lana simply hummed a tune to herself as she placed a large book back into its place on the shelf. Staring unnecessarily, Phoenix found himself wondering how many books Edgeworth wound up reading as he sat at his own desk like an insomniac.

_... There I go, thinking about that jerk again._

"Well, um... I... I should go... now." Phoenix said timidly, standing up and making his way to the door.

_The High Prosecutor's Office always makes me feel uneasy..._

"Oh!" Ema said in surprise. "O-okay... Thanks again, Mr Wright! I'll see you later!"

"Yes, have a safe journey home." Lana spoke up, smiling again as Phoenix tentatively opened the door and sidled out, whilst jokingly reassuring the two ladies that he was man enough to take care of himself.

Now alone, the defense attorney suddenly became conscious of the fact that he could hear another person from behind closed doors.

A man's voice, speaking.

And the voice, as expected, belonged to someone he knew all too well.

_... So he IS still working. Does he even sleep? Even Lana's about to go home... I'm pretty sure that once she's gone, he'll be the only one left in the building._

Too caught up in his thoughts, Phoenix had involuntarily walked towards the man's office door and was now standing close to the door frame, listening intently.

_"... No, Detective. How many times do I have to tell you? If you continue to bother me with these meddlesome propositions, I will be forced to deduct your pay again. I'm surprised you still even have a reasonable income rate for me to deduct something FROM!"_

There was a raised eyebrow and a scoff as Phoenix continued to eavesdrop on his rival's conversation on the phone. No doubt, the recipient of Edgeworth's angry outburst was Gumshoe.

Hearing a handset being lowered impatiently onto the reciever, Phoenix knew it was his cue to hightail it out of there before he was caught listening. He quickly walked back towards the elevator at the other end of the hall, praying that he wouldn't be encountered by anybody else who might accuse him of snooping around for information on a case. He was, after all, a Defense Attorney loitering around inside the High Prosecutor's Building on the weekend after hours.

His index finger jabbed the downwards-pointing, arrow-shaped button on the side of the elevator door.

_Come on..._

The elevator was either broken or just taking its damn sweet time in rising up to the twelfth floor, Phoenix concluded, after checking the time on his cell (he had left his watch at home) and seeing that he had been standing there for longer than a few minutes. He heard the sound of a door shut somewhere behind him and footsteps approaching.

_Oh great... Security._

But it wasn't. Turning around, he saw Edgeworth looking at him in surprise, only a mere five metres away.

"Wright?" He spoke in a serious yet questioning voice, "What are you doing here?"

Phoenix opened his mouth to speak, raising a hand hesitantly. "Uh... Well..." He paused, thinking that confessing about his recent eavesdropping was just like sentencing himself to certain death.

Edgeworth quirked an eyebrow and stood patiently, gripping his silver briefcase in one hand and staring.

Sighing inwardly, the brunette in front of him shrugged. "I was just here to take Ema back to her sister, that's all. We went out for dinner after seeing off Maya and Pearls at the station."

_There. He can't possibly think anything suspicious of me now._

"What is it with you and hanging out with teenagers."

_Okay, so maybe I thought a bit ahead of myself there. He always finds something to pick on me about._

"Don't act like you hate them, or anything..." Phoenix huffed, "I know you're on good terms with Ema and Maya as well."

The prosecutor rolled his eyes. "Well, of course. But I don't hang out with them every day of the week."

Now it was Phoenix's turn to roll his eyes. "Look, Maya is my assistant, okay? So, obviously I see her all the time. Ema just comes around to visit every so often."

Edgeworth headed towards the stairwell to the side. "No need to make a huge fuss over it," he spoke quietly, taking the first step downwards.

_And who started it, huh?_ Blue eyes looked at the other man's back in irritation. As if able to feel the stare, Edgeworth turned around, causing Phoenix to gulp.

"... How exactly are you planning on getting home, Wright? The bus that travels past here isn't due for another..." he checked his watch, "... hour or so?"

_Damn! I hadn't thought of that. _The spiky-haired attorney's mouth twitched slightly. He must have appeared incredibly stupid at that moment, because Edgeworth was still looking at him and it made him nervous.

"Would you like a ride home, Wright." It was more of a _'I can see you're temporarily stranded so you have no choice' _implication, rather than a question.

"Huh?"

"I know you heard what I said."

"W-well yes... but..." Phoenix went red in humiliation and glanced to the side. "You sure?"

"Why would I ask you if I wasn't sure."

Phoenix smiled in a dorky way. _I always ask such stupid things... He must think I'm a moron._

"Do you want one, or not?"

"Oh!" There was a pause, "...Yes please. If it's not too much trouble."

He looked back directly at the other man and saw that he was smiling just a tiny fraction. His heart sped up at the somewhat pleasant expression on Edgeworth's normally-stern face.

"You're doing it again. I'm offering you a lift because I _want_ to. Don't feel bad." The prosecutor said, with a gentle tone to his voice that took Phoenix by surprise even more. "Now hurry up before I change my mind."

Phoenix nodded and followed him down four flights of stairs without saying a word. As soon as they started to descend the fifth flight, however, he couldn't stop himself from saying something.

"How the _heck_ do you manage walking up all these stairs every time you arrive at work in the mornings?"

To this, his companion smirked. "It is a little time-consuming, yes. But I am used to it."

"Oh. Well, yeah... You would be." Phoenix's words were heavily-laden with the exhaustion he was starting to endure. "Guess I need to work out more... Ahaha..."

They continued stepping down more flights of stairs. Edgeworth seemed, in a way, graceful as he took each step down, never faltering and moving with a swift gait that suited his appearance. If one wasn't aware that this man had trained himself to last each ascent and descent those stairs provided, they would probably end up assuming he was bionic.

"To be honest, Wright, you look fit. I would never have thought that you were one to be puffed-out by walking down only twelve floors."

They finally exited the building and entered the underground car park, walking towards the familiar red sports car. Phoenix gaped as he walked behind his companion.

_ONLY twelve? What is this guy? Does he actually feel physical pain?_

...

_... And... he just said he thinks I look fit. _

_... Okay, there's nothing wrong with that, right?_

He convinced himself that perhaps Edgeworth was just being friendlier for once and waited as the man deactivated the central locking before he opened the door on the passenger's side.

"Wow... This is really nice," he said in awe, still slightly breathless from the "workout". His eyes darted around, taking in the fine upholstery as he ran his hands over it. He stopped abruptly as soon as he saw a pair of steel-coloured irises gazing at him with an inquisitive sharpness.

"You know, anybody would think you've never been inside a car in your lifetime," the amused voice of the other man in the driver's seat said lowly, as a key was inserted into the ignition when Phoenix closed his door. "When are you going to get your driver's license, hmm?"

"... Uh... One of these days."

"I see. Do make sure it's before you get any older, will you."

They pulled out of the parking space and stopped briefly at a gate that required a previously-gained permit in order for the barrier to rise and allow them exit. Edgeworth inserted the ticket deftly and they passed without complication, driving down the slope leading to the main road beyond.

The streets weren't so busy, which allowed Phoenix to relax into his seat more easily instead of being annoyed by noisy vehicles. He quickly gave Edgeworth the directions to his apartment before leaning back with a comfortable sigh. However, it was a matter of a few seconds before his consort spoke again.

"So... What else did you get up to earlier today?"

The attorney looked up in bewilderment. _It's not like him to ask things like that... _

Nonetheless, he answered almost straight away. "I went with the girls to the amusement park... That was pretty much it." he turned to face directly out the windscreen. "We went on the Ferris wheel and all."

He hadn't expected his driver to laugh quietly. "And how did you cope with that, Wright?" Edgeworth asked, keeping his gaze focused primarily on the traffic lights that were up the road. "Didn't you tell me when we were younger that you hated heights?"

...

Phoenix blinked and swallowed. "You... Remembered...?" he whispered, as if the prosecutor had just brought up a very important anniversary of some sort.

"Evidently." The car stopped at the red light and Edgeworth relaxed his hands at the top of the steering wheel, turning his head so that he faced Phoenix more clearly, "I can also recall how flustered you were when Larry tried to convince you to climb up and see the view from his new tree house."

"Ahaha, well yeah... I'm not good with heights." The blue-eyed man admitted, starting to count on his fingers as the light turned green and the car proceeded, "... Or needles... Or thunderstorms ... Or... Hmm, I think that's all. But, well, everyone has irrational fears, I suppose. Like you and your fear of earthquakes and elevators."

Edgeworth went extremely silent after that, gripping the wheel with stiff fingers to the point where his knuckles were white against the surface.

_Oh crap, why did I say that? Phoenix, you are SO STUPID!_

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to bring up painful memor - "

"... Wright, I'm fine. Please, just... Stop."

"N-no really, I'm terribly s - "

"Be quiet."

"..."

Feeling hurt and embarrassed, Phoenix obeyed and didn't say anything for the remainder of the drive home. Edgeworth parked his vehicle and waited for the other to get out, keeping just as silent.

The seconds ticked by and they both sat in deafening silence, until one of them blurted out something. As expected, that individual was Phoenix himself.

"... Please, I didn't mean to. Don't be angry." He sounded similar to how Maya had sounded that time after their walk in the park.

Edgeworth inhaled deeply and blinked slowly, apparently in thought. Without looking at the second attorney, he opened his mouth and said something only just loud enough to be heard.

"... I'm... Not angry. It's just painful for me whenever someone brings that up, understand?"

His sombre expression didn't disappear, and Phoenix tilted his head in concern at the sight. Unbuckling his seatbelt, he caught Edgeworth's attention by very lightly touching him on the upper arm so he'd look at him.

"Do you want to come in for a while? I want to make it up to you."

The silvery-haired lawyer acknowledged this statement with a small snort. "What's to make up? I'm not angry, I already told you that."

"Well, yes... But still." Phoenix shot him a little smile, hoping it would lift his spirits. "Let me make you a warm drink or something... It's been kinda cold lately."

Surprisingly enough, Edgeworth nodded in acceptance and proceeded to unbuckle his seatbelt. "Alright."

------

_I just know he's thinking about how messy my apartment is... I just know it._

They were standing in the kitchen; Phoenix switching on the kettle to boil whilst juggling a can of instant coffee, a jar of sugar and a box of tea bags in his hands. Edgeworth was in front of the bench, arms crossed and taking in the sight of scattered newspapers littering most of the table to the left, as well as the mismatched curtains that hung in the living room that was visible from his position.

"I am intrigued by your sense of interior decoration."

"...Um... "

"Do you have no sense of coordination, Wright? You don't juxtapose blue tartan with vivid orange."

Phoenix let out a noise somewhere between a scoff and a laugh. "And now I suppose you're going to add on how you think my apartment would be considered lowly even by a homeless person's standards, hmm?"

"... I don't take sugar in my tea."

"Don't change the subject, Mr my-house-is-better-than-yours!"

"..."

Sighing at the prosecutor's quiet reaction, Phoenix poured the now hot water into two, striped ceramic mugs - one containing decaf and the other sporting the string of a teabag hanging over the side. He handed Edgeworth the tea and beckoned him to take a seat.

"Where, Wright? Every reasonably-decent chair in this place is either covered with newspaper or supporting a pile of your case files."

"Are you _always _this nitpicky? Seriously!"

_Stupid question, Phoenix. Why even ask._

"I do prefer sitting down on a surface that is comfortable and uncovered by obstacles, like any normal person would."

"If these chairs were sparkling and furnished with cushions stuffed with swan feathers, you _still_ wouldn't sit down."

Edgeworth smirked, sipping his tea. "I'll admit it amuses me to see you so worked up about small things."

"Worked up? Aren't you the one who is making a big deal out of this? I mean, I let you into my apartment to join me for a hot drink and then you're all: 'this isn't pretty enough! My perfect ass will be ruined if I sit here... Blah blah blah'...!"

His hands were flying all over the place with his words, yet for some reason a drop of his coffee never spilt.

He was so surprised to see Edgeworth place down his cup and chuckle loudly. "This is what I mean... You should listen to yourself speak like this..."

"... B-but now this isn't making any sense... Argh. You pick on me all the time, and now you're telling me not to get 'worked-up'... It's not like _you_ don't get irritated, Edgeworth."

And with that, he went into the living room and sat down on the couch, sipping his coffee in a way that wouldn't end up with him burning his tongue. The cushion next to him sank under another source of weight, and Phoenix shifted awkwardly as Edgeworth took a seat next to him.

"Are you content now? I'll sit here."

"W-well, yes."

"By the way..." the grey-eyed man swirled his tea in its mug a little, "Your choices of beverage holders are quite - "

"Great. Don't tell me you're going to pick on my MUGS, now?"

"... I was actually going to say they are quite similar to the cups my father used to use when he made us hot chocolate as children."

"..."

_Oh..._

_... is he trying to bring up more pleasant memories to make up for snapping at me earlier?_

There was a fond look in Edgeworth's eyes as he turned to Phoenix. "You're getting worked up again."

Phoenix swore he could feel his cheeks burning with embarrassment once more. "Sorry..."

"No. I should be the one apologising."

"What?"

"I realise you are always trying to help me, Wright... And I always push you aside. I... Hmmm, how do I say this..."

Phoenix gripped onto his mug slightly, curling his lips inwards as he tried to hide his nervousness. Edgeworth continued to search for the correct words.

"... I don't want to seem unapproachable to you. I want you to view me as a close friend and rival, but not as an enemy."

Phoenix grinned and finished his drink. "Hey... I'm used to you being grumpy, I guess. But I've always thought of you as a close friend."

There was a tense moment in which both of them stared at their cups quietly.

...

...

"Thank you, Wright. I appreciate that."

And he meant it. Phoenix could feel his relief radiating from him after he had said so.

"You're welcome. And if you ever want to tell me something, I'm here for you, okay?"

Without being aware of what he was doing, he had extended an arm and squeezed one of Edgeworth's rigid shoulders in a brief, yet comforting way. It took the other man a moment to say something after Phoenix had let go.

"Why did you just..."

"Noooo, don't get any strange thoughts, it was just a friendly gesture."

"I know. But... There's a thing called 'personal space', Wright."

"There's also a thing called, 'not being so ridiculously uptight towards friends who are trying to make you feel better.' Ever heard of that?"

"... Touché."

Phoenix laughed at this and placed his cup down on the low table in front of them, leaning back and stretching out his sore legs. "So... I think you should take a weekend off from work one of these days. You're missing out on things."

"Such as?" The second cup was placed down next to the first and Edgeworth turned to the defense attorney.

"Weeeeell, you could have joined us today! It was fun... Except for the ferris wheel and all. I probably would have felt better if you were there."

"..."

"Then again, those capsules only fit about four people."

"... I'm not very good with heights either. Just to refresh your memory."

"Ahaha... Yeah. Well, see? We have something in common."

"I suppose." Edgeworth was smiling again - that small smile he wore that was rarely viewed.

"Oh, and I forgot to tell you... Maya and I are dating."

"..."

_Why is he all quiet again?_

Edgeworth glanced to the side. "I see..."

"Yeah! And Pearls keeps going on about _marriage_. I mean, what the heck..."

"Hmm."

"And then Ema asked me something afterwards... She asked me '_how can you tell when you're in love with_ _someone?_' or whatever...I ... I don't know if my answer was right though. I said you feel like you get butterflies in your stomach whenever you see that person and all that..."

Edgeworth was still staring away from him. "... Judging by the fact that you seemed uncertain of your answers, I take it that you don't exactly feel such things with Miss Fey?"

"You mean the whole butterflies-in-stomach thing?"

"Yes, if that's what it is referred to. Such a ridiculous term, in my opinion."

"Hehe..." Phoenix frowned in confusion, "... I... I dunno. Don't tell her this, but it's still been the same between us ever since we started going out a few days ago."

"I'm guessing you're expecting _more_ from her, then."

"Wha - ? No way, I'm not that kinda guy!" Phoenix said defensively, shaking his head hurriedly, "I meant it's just like we're not really dating at all. None of us feels the need to treat the other like ... how normal couples treat each other. We hug and hold hands and stuff, but not often. And it doesn't bother me when we don't."

"So it's still as if you are just close, but not in _that _sort of way."

"Uh-huh... I don't even know why I blurted out I had feelings for her. I thought I did... but now when I look back on it, I was probably confused."

"Confused?"

"Maybe I was blinded by the fact that her optimism and caring qualities rubbed off on me and I found myself being captivated by it. But I don't feel anything else. I don't feel like I want to kiss her or anything. Is that normal? I mean even Ema and her share a closer relationship. They spend more time with each other and they are so happy together. But Ema looked upset today whenever Maya was closer to me..."

He was talking very fast and getting it all off his shoulders as if he were visiting a counsellor.

_How ironic that I am spilling my troubles onto someone else this time. I should stop._

But Edgeworth was peering at him in concern, making his heart speed up.

"... By the sounds of things, maybe you two aren't suited to a relationship. And if I didn't know better, I would say that Miss Skye has feelings for Miss Fey."

_... So my fleeting thought from this morning wasn't just conjecture. _Phoenix wondered. _It all makes sense now._

"Y-yeah... And remember how she seemed a bit envious towards how the waitress looked at Maya the other day?"

"I was just thinking that. She is protective of Miss Fey."

"... Edgeworth, I don't know what to tell Maya when she gets back. I have to say it to her face..."

"If what we are assuming is true, then hopefully she won't be hurt by this."

"I hope so."

The two lawyers sat through yet another momentary silence. Edgeworth somehow looked relieved and relaxed, to which Phoenix smiled.

"Wanna play Monopoly?" he asked, grinning.

"You know I will beat you."

"... Everyone beats me."

"What's the fun in it, then?"

Phoenix shrugged at the question and snickered. "You like defeating me, don't you."

"I would say it gives me satisfaction, if only I was able to defeat you in court."

"Well, maybe one day. If you're lucky. And by lucky I mean the defendant is actually _guilty_. Matt Engarde doesn't count this time."

Edgeworth closed his eyes and smirked, folding his arms in front of him. "Don't assume for one instant that I will ever go easy on you behind those courtroom doors."

"Now that just sounds wrong and you know it."

"Wright, I'm trying to be serious and you're ruining the moment."

"Whoops! My bad. I guess I forgot how _unserious _you _usually_ are."

"Oh for heaven's sake, Wright." Despite this, Edgeworth was laughing very quietly.

"It's good to joke around sometimes, see? Don't be so cranky all the time." Phoenix nudged him playfully and the prosecutor flinched a little. "And don't be so tense every second of the day. Learn to relax."

"I'll learn to relax when you learn to stop touching me."

"That sounds wrong too! I didn't know you were so rowdy."

"Wright! Stop saying such crude things, will you?" Edgeworth's voice was almost a growl.

Phoenix burst out laughing and fell backwards onto the arm rest. "Okay, okay." He sat up again and thought to himself.

_I really shouldn't say what I'm about to say... I'm pushing it..._

"I'm going to take off my jacket, don't perve."

"I... I beg your pardon?!"

"Ahahahaha... Don't worry, I'm wearing a shirt underneath."

Edgeworth glowered at him and stood up instantaneously. "I think I will be leaving now."

"Awww... " Phoenix simpered, unzipping his jacket and throwing it onto the coat stand. "Alright, I'll let you go." He didn't fail to notice how Edgeworth's face was tinged pink... Out of anger, probably.

Yes, anger.

Maybe he really had gone a bit too far?

But the prosecutor was gripping his opposite arm and turning his head to the side. "I'm aware that I am the one getting worked up now..."

_Yeah, no kidding._

"... I apologise once again. Good night." He made to walk over to the door as the defense attorney watched.

_Do I irritate him that much... Or do I make him nervous? He makes me nervous, that's for sure. I wonder why... It's probably his aura of strictness._

"Hey..." Phoenix walked over to him and grabbed his shoulder. He ignored the flinch that resulted from the contact, and moved back a bit as his companion spun around to face him again. "Thanks for spending time with me anyway. I enjoyed it a lot, really." He gave Edgeworth a warm smile, which was half-heartedly returned. Saying nothing, the silver-haired man nodded and walked out of the apartment.

Edgeworth walked down the hall and pulled his blazer tighter over himself.

"So did I, Wright..." he mumbled to himself, out of earshot as he walked down the stairs... hearing Phoenix click the door shut behind him once more.


	5. Chapter Five

**"Jumping to Conclusions"**

_***~Chapter Five~***_

The following week had arrived at a snail's pace.

It was yet another Wednesday, and Kurain was as tranquil as ever. Maya was seated quietly on the tatami mat inside a secluded room within her traditional house, soft socks specially worn for such a purpose - given that the tatami was meant to be untouched by other footwear. The small shrine in front of her was adorned with incense and spiritual offerings, and she prayed quietly.

Once done, she stood up and slipped on her sandals outside the room, heading towards the back door where she had access to the beautiful garden on her property. Pearl was there, prodding the surface of the koi pond with one finger whilst holding her favourite ball protectively.

"Whatcha doin', Pearly?" Maya asked cheerfully, kneeling beside her cousin and peering into the pond. She was greeted by a pretty fish that had swam closer to the surface, repeatedly making "o" shapes with its mouth.

"Thinking." Pearl answered, sprinkling fish food into the water from a small bucket next to her. The water rippled as many more koi surfaced and gulped at the morsels hungrily.

"About what?"

"How I'm going to plan out your wedding, of course!"

Maya exhaled loudly and giggled. "Pearly, I'm only nineteen. I'm not ready to be married yet."

Pearl stood up and somehow managed to dust off her hands with her ball secured under her arm. She made a face and argued: "Age doesn't matter when you are in love, Mystic Maya!"

"Um... but... I don't want to get m - "

"You don't love Mr Nick!"

Maya stifled a laugh as soon as she saw her younger cousin's expression. It looked very similar to that of a horrified puppy who had been denied its favourite chew-toy.

Minus the floppy ears and tail, of course. And the fur... and the claws... and the... fangs...

"I do, Pearly! Just not enough to marry him. Hehe..." she frantically flapped her hands in front of herself.

The realisation of her own words suspended her actions. Instead, she stared into the pond again as a breeze picked up, rippling the water further as the fish ate. _I don't even think about him as much as I probably should... I don't even miss him as much as I probably should... not in that way..._

There was one person she couldn't stop thinking of, though. One person she missed too much.

_But it's wrong for me to love that person... isn't it? If I wasn't a spirit medium, I would be free to love who I wanted._

She didn't notice that she was so spaced out, Pearl was frantically waving an arm up and down in front of her eyes.

"Mystic Mayaaaaa?"

"Oh, sorry Pearly..."

"I'm gonna go off and practise more channelling techniques, okay? And don't deny your true feelings!" The young girl skipped off, making a beeline towards the house as Maya nodded.

_My true feelings... You're right, Pearly._

"... Your true feelings for Mr Nick!" The little spirit medium shut the back door behind her, disappearing from view.

_... Well, of course she'd be talking about THAT! I should have known. Maya, you need to practise the art of reading people's intentions more thoroughly._

Standing up with a weary sigh, Maya straightened out the creases on her kimono with a few swipes of her palms before shaking grains of sand out of her sandals. She revelled in the calming, cool wind blowing over her, listening to the bamboo wind chime and gazing towards the bonsai trees potted neatly next to the fence. She made a note in her head to trim them later if she had time.

_I should probably go practise channelling too. I'm much older than Pearly and she's already so much better at it than I am._

Yet distractions always came when not needed, and Maya reached into the secret pocket she had in her sleeve, pulling out her old cell phone that she had recently charged. Mia had passed it down to her a few years ago, and it was precious to her. The little Steel Samurai phone charm that dangled off the side was a reminder of the time Mia had taken her down to a bazaar, asking her to pick out what she wanted as a reward for getting a good mark on a test.

Smiling to herself at the fond memory, Maya flipped open the phone and scrolled through the list of names in her personal directory before stopping at one name that always caught her eye.

It was a short name... Three letters. But it always made her heart beat faster whenever she saw it. She had yet to completely find out why she reacted in such a way. Since her cell phone received no reception in Kurain Village, she went inside to use the old telephone sitting next to a couple of thick directories beside the back door. Dialling in Ema's number after another glance at her cell screen for reference, she patiently and nervously for the person on the other end to pick up.

...

...

"_Hello, this is Ema speaking!"_

Maya grinned as soon as she heard her friend's voice. "Hey! It's Maya..."

"_...I'm unable to answer your call right now, so please leave me a message after the beep!"_

Maya frowned at the phone, hanging up and dialling again impatiently. The same message replayed into her ears, causing the spirit medium to pout and wish that she was at least able to send a text message.

Giving up for now, the teenager proceeded to call another person who she hadn't contacted since leaving the main city.

...

...

"_Phoenix Wright speaking."_

"Hi, Nick! It's me... miss me?" Maya didn't intend for the greeting to sound so couple-like, but it did anyway.

_"Oh, hi Maya! Yeah! How are you?"_

"I'm okay! I'm just about to go off to practise again... Well, soon anyways. How about you?"

_"Eh, I've had better days... I'm just sitting around at work doing nothing. Well, I got another call earlier and I have to go over to the detention centre in about twenty minutes, but that's about it."_

"Ah." Maya could almost picture her boyfriend sitting back in his office chair, lazily throwing paper air planes at the wall. "Who is it?"

_"It's some guy named Dennis Walker. He's been accused of murdering his friend's house mate. Apparently he was found at the scene of the crime holding the murder weapon, but he says that he had panicked and picked it up without thinking...? I'm not sure if I can believe him or not... I guess I'll have to wait and see."_

The spirit medium nodded, even though she knew that Phoenix couldn't see it. "He sounds kinda fishy, but yeah. I think it would be better to judge first hand instead of jumping to conclusions."

There was a brief silence, followed by the sound of Phoenix exhaling. "_Oh, Maya...?"_

"Hmm?"

"_I... I have to tell you something when you get back. Something... important."_

"Important? It's not gonna be another lecture on how I should stop eating burgers so often, is it?"

A small chuckle surfaced from the mobile phone. _"Heh, no... it's different."_

"Okay, okay, I believe you." Maya said hastily, flipping her hand up and down in a manner that looked as if she were trying to brush off his words. "I'm gonna return to LA in a few more days or something, so... yep."

"_Well, until then." _

"Uh-huh! Alright Nick, I have to go now, so I'll speak to you later if I can! Bye!"

"_Bye, Maya."_

The girl placed the phone handset back into its cradle. She didn't know if it was just her thinking too deeply into matters, but did Phoenix sound a little more serious than usual toward the end of their conversation?

Maybe? Maybe not?

_I wonder what he wants to tell me... Oh well, looks like I'll have to be patient._

_

* * *

_

The detention centre was how it always had been. Ominous, stifling... And the air within hung upon a person like a veil of ice and dread. Phoenix hated having to visit the place, yet when dire situations called, there was no other option left.

The man he now faced behind the observation glass was scowling and attempting to carve into the hard surface of the bench he leant on with his blunt fingernails. A nervous habit of some sort, Phoenix noted. The security guard standing near the door remained unmoving, as they always did, and the defense attorney was yet again forced to wonder if the detention centre actually hired _humans _to stand watch instead of androids or something else that was unemotional and confined to tautness.

"Mr Walker... you're being put on trial tomorrow... And... I'm sorry, but I cannot defend you. I've told you this already! Please understand when I say that your reasoning for requesting my services does not meet justification."

"What? You're just like the other one! That... What was his name ... Gavin!"

"I'm sorry, who?"

_I think I've heard of him a few times. Is it Kristoph Gavin?_

"That bloody poor excuse of an attorney! Kristoph Gavin!" Walker spat in disgust, confirming Phoenix's guess. "He thinks he's all that... Kinda like _you_."

"Um, I really don't think that's the point here, Mr Walker... You're only making yourself seem more unapproachable and harder to believe."

_...Although I had my suspicions about you the moment I received your phone call._

"Yeah, well, you know what?" The man looked like he was getting more and more riled up by the second – suddenly standing upright whilst seething, and Phoenix found himself backing away from the glass a few centimetres, "FINE!"

"H-huh?" Phoenix stammered, losing his previously established sense of calm as Walker simultaneously slammed a hand upon the bench, reminiscent of how the attorney himself did whenever he was faced with a contradiction in court. "What...?"

"I DID IT! I'M THE ONE WHO DID IT! HAPPY NOW?" Dennis Walker's unshaven face was almost beetroot red by this point, and his dark brown eyes glowered with an entirely new wave of malice. It was somewhat...

_...He looks insane!_

"You... You killed him? You killed Leonard Streimann?"

"That's what I bloody well SAID! Are you DEAF or what? He slept with my WIFE! I'll never forget it! I sliced open his throat and painted the walls with his blood!"

"M-Mr Walker..."

_I should have known he'd plead guilty in the end._

By now the angry individual had resumed his seat carelessly, laughing in his chair. He looked psychotic and desperate. The security guard had actually moved to retrieve the hand-held speaker from his belt and mumbled into it. No longer than one minute later, more guards entered the room and took Dennis Walker by his upper arms, leading him away from the glass.

"HE DESERVED IT! Ahahahaha! He'll burn in HELL! Like YOU, Mr Wright! Like all of you!"

He struggled temporarily within the grips of the guards, but eventually gave up, turning to his fate with a look on his face that plainly gave the message that he was satisfied with what he had done.

Phoenix watched with stunned eyes as the criminal vanished behind the only door on the other side of where he sat. That person... was outrageously insane. The look in his eyes... the way he had tried to convince him he was innocent at first when he was in fact, guilty... it was obvious from the beginning...

… And it was the very next day that Mr Dennis Walker was sentenced to life imprisonment. Not like he had long anyway, Phoenix dared to think. The man was currently fifty-three years of age, a heavy drinker, and a chain smoker. Who knew how damaged his liver and lungs already were. Not to mention his _brain._

Sitting on the couch in his office, Phoenix flipped over the morning newspaper with expectations of finding a new puzzle on page sixty-seven. However, the publishers had replaced his favourite "Cryptic Crossword" with a series of Sudoku grids. Wrinkling his nose in disappointment, the attorney settled for the new source of morning entertainment, nonetheless. He took out the ball point pen that was clipped to his front pocket and started on the first set.

...

He gave up after two minutes.

Tossing the paper and pen to the side, he flicked on the small television on the shelf – the one that only Maya usually watched, and saw that there was a cartoon with a villainous female threatening to shrink the good guys with her ray of doom. Phoenix couldn't help but let out a noise that sounded a lot like the kind of scoff someone made when they found something pathetic. He immediately shut up when he saw that the villain looked a lot like someone he knew.

Dahlia.

That red hair and everything. Right down to the parasol. Except... this girl's parasol was more of a green umbrella that hid a laser beam.

Come to think of it, she looked nothing like Dahlia, after all.

_Okay, I need to stop drinking expired coffee. _

Just SEEING that stupid cartoon made him momentarily re-live that fateful case in his head. It hadn't been too long ago - not even two months, in fact. Dahlia Hawthorne... she was sweet on the outside, but a demon on the inside.

Who would have thought. Who would have thought that she was capable of something so inhumane. And that she had enough evil in her to repeat those acts over and over.

Trembling without even realising it, the spiky-haired man on the couch switched off the television with shaky hands and stood up to bathe in the warm sunshine filtering into the room through the Venetian blinds.

_You just KNOW you're out of it when a children's show starts making you remember horrific moments in your life._

He wished he had someone to talk to right now. Someone who would take him more seriously.

* * *

"Please inform Prosecutor Payne that I require an updated copy of this booklet. Preferably one that isn't half-ripped. " Miles held up what looked like a thin edition of some bi-annual, law-related publication.

"Of course, sir." The secretary received the booklet and made her way out of her boss's office. It was another one of those mornings that revolved around frantic organisation as well as contacting of other departments and colleagues. A regular thing to happen at the High Prosecutor's Office, just like any other workplace. It was inevitable.

Now alone, Miles found himself scrutinising his desk space, looking for a note that he had supposedly tucked underneath the desk lamp. He ended up finding it beneath the stand of his calligraphy quill, instead. Unfolding the note, Miles' memory was refreshed as he read what was written on it.

_Contact Wright for lunch at 12:30pm._

Something so simple yet so intimidating by the way those words seemed to mock him from their location on the yellow scrap of paper. He had written the memo down only last night, after thinking for quite a while about how he should make amends for his constant air of agitation around the man.

He really did not _want _to snap at Wright. But something about that man just drove him up the wall. That spiky-headed moron who always managed to find something stupid to say.

_Why does he irritate me so much._

Yet he had somehow driven himself to defy his bad memory and jot down a reminder to call up his childhood friend and rival for a friendly lunch together.

Yes, that was it, nothing more. It wasn't as if he was looking for an excuse to _see_ Wright again after spending time with him only last week.

He was only putting up with the man just because he wanted to compensate for his rudeness (which somehow ended up rearing its head whenever they met, anyway). Not because he wanted to see those sapphire orbs light up with warmth whenever they locked eyes...

… not because he wanted to see that dorky grin plastered on his face whenever he was stuck in an embarrassing situation...

… not because he wanted to hear his voice as he spoke to him, even casually. Or laughed, wanting him to join in, which Miles hardly ever did.

_Christ, why am I thinking about these things... it's WRIGHT. He's... he's an idiot._

Miles screwed the small square of paper into a ball and threw it down into the waste paper basket at his feet.

He pushed his leather chair back a fraction and peeked at his watch for the time.

11:03am.

In exactly eighty-seven minutes - that was to say, an hour and twenty-seven minutes – he'd have to call up the defense attorney and invite him for lunch. Something he had never done before.

_Fantastic, now I have nerves biting at my stomach._

The prosecutor's socially inept personality was doing him little good in this situation.

_Eighty-six minutes to go... why on Earth am I even counting down the time? It's not like I'm going to be escorted to my death in the gallows by the end of it. _

After several more minutes of arguing with his mind, Miles picked up the phone and keyed in the office number of his rival, not being able to bear waiting for any longer due to sheer nervousness.

"_Wright and Co. Law Offices, Phoenix Wright speaking."_

Miles was surprised at how quickly the phone was answered. It wasn't like the defense attorney to be prompt when it came to work – and this was proven many a time by his frequent late arrivals to court. Then again, a phone was much more simple to be on time for.

"..."

"_Uh... hello? Is anybody there?"_

Miles took a breath, puzzled at his own hesitation. "Yes. Good Morning, Wright."

"_Who... who is this, sorry?"_

Now Miles felt foolish for not stating his own name. But Wright should have known it was his voice, damn him! Miles always recognised the idiot's voice whenever he heard him speak, and it definitely wasn't because he kept thinking about it for no reason. Of course not.

"_...Helloooo?"_

"It's me, Miles Edgeworth. Who else speaks to you in this accent and with this tone of voice, Wright."

_I sound rude already. Good going, Miles. He's definitely going to want to spend time with you at this rate._

…

"_Oh! Edgeworth! I was just thinking about you! I was going to call you, actually... hehe..."_

By this point Miles could almost visualise the familiar back-of-neck scratching that accompanied that little laugh of his.

And wait a minute... did he just say he had been _thinking about him?_

Miles swallowed quietly and blinked, feeling a little awkward. "I ...see."

"_Yeah! Coincidence, huh?" _The other contributor of the so-far-brief conversation was grinning. Even though Miles was unable to see it, he could tell just by listening to the way that particular facial expression altered the overall execution of Wright's words.

"Indeed. Ah... Wright, I called to ask you if you would care to join me for lunch in about two hours. Are you free?"

Phoenix either just gasped slightly in surprise or there was someone else there with him providing sound effects, Miles thought to himself as the other man reacted to his question.

"Lunch? With you? Really?"

Miles laughed inwardly, a tiny smile tugging at his lips in amusement. "Why are you so shocked? I am not a celebrity, in case you haven't realised."

"_Hah! You may as well be... you've got fans left, right, and centre! Take Wendy Oldbag for instan - "_

"Wright!" Miles cringed. "Please refrain from discussing anything that pertains to that woman, for the sake of my sanity."

"_Sorryyyy." _The response was said through another wide grin. It could be heard so easily.

"Anyway, I would like your answer sometime today, if you don't mind."

"_Anything for you, Edgeworth..."_

Miles stared at the phone in shock, wondering if he needed to purchase hearing aids sometime in the near future.

"Excuse me?"

"_Ahaha, yes. I'd really like that."_

Miles felt like a boulder had been lifted off his shoulders. He smirked in satisfaction, despite the mocking that was being sent his way by a certain lawyer on the phone.

_There he goes again, making fun of me._

"_So, what time should I meet you? And where, exactly?"_

"Don't worry, I'll be there to pick you up at around 1pm."

As expected, Phoenix's predictable astonishment was sensed through the receiver. _"O-okay. I'll see you then!"_ The brunette sounded genuinely happy and it warmed Miles' heart to hear it.

"Alright. Bye for now."

"_Bye, Miles."_

Hanging up the phone, the prosecutor leant on his elbows, continuing to stare at the handset for a while. It then dawned on him that Phoenix had referred to him by his first name before disconnecting the conversation.

How unusual...

But he did not really mind.

What really bugged him was that it took him a while to even work up the guts to phone that idiot in the first place. It was just a casual work-related lunch break, for crying out loud... it wasn't like his intentions for calling were to ask him out to the high school dance or something ridiculous like that.

He cursed his social awkwardness and went back to his paperwork, hardly acknowledging his secretary when she returned with the update of the publication he had requested earlier.

His mind was just focused on a certain someone. And nothing else.

* * *

Their lunch was pleasantly spent in a classy-looking café located about ten minutes away from the city central. Phoenix felt more at ease speaking to the prosecutor as they discussed casual matters, court, and even the crazed Dennis Walker from the day before. Edgeworth's eyes narrowed in attentiveness as he took in the information, stating how he had heard about the news earlier but listening to it from Phoenix's point of view was much more interesting.

Phoenix finished the detailed story as they waited for their orders, thankful that there was no flirtatious waitress to cause yet another awkward situation. Instead, a waiter who looked to be in his early thirties approached the table with two plates and placed them down upon the white table cloth. His black moustache was well-trimmed and his smile was bright and cheery.

"Will that be all for you two gentlemen?" he asked politely, cupping his hands together. Phoenix couldn't help but notice that the waiter was giving Edgeworth a look that stated clear interest. Edgeworth however, was either oblivious or was pretending not to notice.

The spiky-haired defense attorney tried to maintain a pleasant face but soon found out how difficult it was at this point.

_Not again... seriously. I swear that every waiter or waitress in this city is queer. Or partially-queer._

"We're good, thanks!" Phoenix said quickly, sounding a little rude without intending to. "Uh... yeah. We're fine."

The waiter smiled again, but it was more forced as he nodded and walked back to the kitchens. Once gone, Miles chuckled.

"For a moment there you sounded quite … vigilant," he said quietly, picking up his fork and starting on his meal.

Halfway through a mouthful of fettuccine, Phoenix sniffed and made a confused face as he swallowed. "What do you mean?"

"Well, what do you think?" Edgeworth asked back, smirking. He turned to look at his rival as if daring him to give a stupid response.

"Hey, I asked you a question first, don't ask me one back!" The defense attorney stabbed his fork into his food and twirled the pasta around the utensil absent-mindedly. He couldn't help but take notice of how his face grew hot whenever the other man looked at him.

How strange.

"Wright... use your head. I know there's an intelligent brain in there somewhere... Or am I just basing my assumptions on fleeting hope?"

Phoenix gawked for a second. _He just insulted me again...!_

"Yeah, I know what vigilant means, Edgeworth." He took a sip from his glass of water and fiddled with a napkin. "You make it sound like I was being all anxious and protective over you or something..."

"That's what it looked like, yes."

"What... I... I'm _not _being protective over you!" Phoenix's eyes narrowed. "Okay, is it just me or do we sound like a couple arguing over freedom rights?"

Edgeworth almost dropped his fork as he gave his companion a highly surprised look, yet didn't say anything.

_Wow, looks like I really caught him off-guard there. I should remember this day for the rest of my life,_ Phoenix thought, giving an equally surprised look in return.

"...Do think before you blurt out absurd things like that."

"Hehe, I'm sorry. It was funny though, admit it."

"..."

Some time later – after finishing their meals in semi-silence – the pair of them called for the bill. Edgeworth gave Phoenix a stare which assured him not to worry this time.

"I'll pay for you."

"...?"

"I invited you out to lunch, didn't I? What kind of person would I be if I didn't cover for you?"

"... Th-thank you..."

"No need to look so worried, Wright. I do not mind at all."

They walked out of the restaurant together and made their way back to the expensive-looking sports car parked neatly besides a phone-booth. Phoenix suddenly felt more embarrassed than ever and shoved his hands into his pockets to hide his nervous fidgeting.

The drive back to the Wright and Co. Law Offices was fairly quiet, save for the occasional laugh Phoenix made whenever something on the road amused him, like the person who had tried to drive through a red light but ended up stalling at the intersection.

"Laughing at something that is clearly disregarding of the law is what makes me wonder whether or not you take your job seriously, Wright. That driver just tried to commit a road-related offence and you're joking around about it."

"And you're being too serious to notice how entertaining it is to see an idiot fail at what he intended to do."

"Does that idiot remind you of anybody? I suppose it takes one to know one."

_Ouch... Again... But wait a minute... I don't drive. He probably wasn't referring to that part of it though._

"Your words cut through me like a sharpened knife!" Phoenix cried dramatically, holding a hand to his heart and another hand to his forehead, making him look like a damsel in distress.

"I am currently focusing my attention on the traffic, yet I can still tell how ridiculous you look. Stop making flamboyant gestures because they are obscuring my view of the rear-vision mirror."

"Flamboyant? Now you just make me sound _gay_. Like... Max Galactica. Except he was straight. I think."

"I don't think I even know who that is, but I'm not going to say anything."

"You just did. Ahaha."

"Wright, if you don't shut your mouth I swear I'm going to shut it for you..."

"How? With a cork?"

"... What."

"... Wow, that kind of sounded like the word... Oh my god, nevermind..." A snort of laughter followed after the innuendo.

"That's it. Get out."

"But we're not even at my office yet!"

"You moron. Look more closely, will you." Edgeworth nodded at the white building close to where he had just parked the car. Phoenix yelped in acknowledgement.

"Hey! So we are..."

"Get out. Please." Miles was glaring at him again.

"Okay, settle down." The brunette unbuckled his seatbelt and shifted in his seat. "By the way, before I go..."

"What is it." There was an impatient undertone to the prosecutor's voice that went unnoticed by the other male.

"... Thanks. Again." Phoenix smiled – a smile that looked very affectionate. "I really enjoy your company. Especially when you're not... grumpy all the time. Haha." He looked at his hands that were resting on the inner latch of the door. "We should spend time together more often... Just like when we were younger.

And... This is gonna sound pathetic, but I miss those days... A lot."

_Why do I keep feeling so nervous … _

Edgeworth stared at him in silence, not exactly sure what to feel. "You're welcome," he gave a shrug. "For lunch, I mean." His next words were delivered with a tone of voice that, unbelievably enough, sounded flustered. "And... I wouldn't mind spending more time with you, either. I realise... lately... I..."

"Oh! Crap! I forgot I was supposed to call Ema about something important! Tell me later, okay?" The attorney quickly made his way out of the car and nearly slammed the door in his haste to get back to the office. "Bye!"

"Wright, the seatbelt is caught in the door, you idiot!"

"O-oh damn... Hang on a minute."

Fixing the mistake, Phoenix waved and bolted into the building like a meerkat, to which Miles chuckled again.

After staring after the man for what was much longer than intended, he drove off back to his own workplace.


	6. Chapter Six

** "Jumping to Conclusions"**

**_*~Chapter Six~*_**

**_

* * *

  
_**

"You want more luminol?" Ema asked on the phone after Mr Wright had disturbed her in the middle of her latest science experiment, which was being conducted away from school since she had left for the day. Of course, it was his fault for calling later than he had said he would.

"_Yeah, I used up the last of that other bottle you gave me. Sorry, I should probably not spray so much, huh."_

"Where were you testing?" Ema enquired, taking a swab out of something contained within the Petri dish she was holding. She tried to keep her cellphone held between her shoulder and jaw without pressing any of its buttons by mistake, since both of her hands were occupied with the project.

"_Ahaha, actually... I seriously can't remember... I ran out quite a while ago but I kept forgetting to ask for a refill. I just thought I'd need more if something should pop up and... Well. You know."_

"Oh, okay." Ema replied, half paying attention now as she attempted to light a Bunsen burner, trying to turn on the gas tap correctly from the angle she was facing it. "I don't have enough on me at the moment, but if you're willing to wait, I'm having more bottles mailed to me in about a couple of weeks. I ordered it in and stuff."

"_That shouldn't be an issue. Thanks, Ema."_

"No problem, Mr Wright!" The eighteen year old girl smiled and suddenly remembered something she should ask the man. "Oh, before you hang up..."

"_Yes?"_

"Have you heard from Maya at all? I think she phoned me once or twice yesterday... Although it was a private number on the "missed calls" screen. I'm not sure if her number in Kurain is private. I was unable to pick up since I had gone out and left my cell at home by accident and I can't call back since I don't know what to dial."

"_Her phone number in Kurain is private, yeah." _She heard the lawyer's voice reply simply, _"And cell phones don't receive reception in that village, so I wouldn't bother calling that if I were you."_

"Ummm, I already knew of the reception thing since she told me before, but thanks anyway!" Ema laughed, ignoring the pang of disappointment of not being able to contact Maya until either she called back, or Mr Wright gave her the number.

"_Let me guess... You want Maya's home number, then?"_

Ema let out an exclamation of thrill. "Yes please! How did you know!"

"_It's obvious. That's all I'm going to say for now." _Mr Wright was practically grinning through the receiver - Ema could tell without having to see his face in quickly managed to jot down the number being given to her and thanked him enthusiastically, suddenly wanting to hang up so that she could call Maya.

"_Well, I have to go, I gotta get back to work."_

"Of course! Thanks, Mr Wright!"

"_Anytime."_

-click-

Ema was quick to abandon all work she had been, well, working on. Quickly flicking off the gas switch, she dialled into her phone again and waited for approximately five rings before a voice answered.

"_Maya speaking!"_

As usual, the teenager sounded cheerful, bringing a grin to Ema's face. "Hi, Maya! It's me, Ema."

"_Ema!"_ the response was almost shocked in nature, _"I tried to call you yesterday but you never picked up! How come?"_

"Sorry... I left my cell behind when I went out. But Mr Wright gave me your number so... "

"_Ah, okay. So what's up?"_

"Uh..." Ema felt a little mixed-up as she made a puzzled expression to herself, "W-well, how about we start off with your reason for calling me yesterday?" She hoped she didn't sound idiotic to the other girl.

"_Ohhh. I just wanted to talk to you. I miss you!"_

It was at this point that Ema had temporarily lost the words she should have spoken – she stared out the window blankly, feeling both flustered and glad. "I... me too."

"_Huh?"_

"I miss you too." the eighteen-year-old confirmed, "B-but it's not like you've been away for that long, haha. I make it sound like you're overseas or something, you know?"

"_I could be." _Maya teased lightly, and Ema could hear the spirit medium scribbling away on a piece of paper to occupy herself on the other end of the line, "But_ no. I'm still in Kurain."_

"I know that." There was a giggle and a pair of brown eyes rolled upwards. "Well, how are things over there?"

"_Not bad. Pearly is training again and I have to go and prepare lunch soon. A late lunch. I'm making hamburgers – a new recipe this time!"_

"Really?"

"_Yeah, I'm putting saffron in the beef patties. I read the recipe in a cooking magazine_ _once._"

They continued chatting to one another animatedly, both parties enjoying the conversation and feeling more at ease. After quite some time, Maya said something to Ema that caught her off guard once again.

"_Hey... I'm thinking of breaking up with Nick."_

…

…

…

"What? Why?"

Her shock probably didn't sound genuine enough. In fact, she hated herself for thinking this. She hated that part of her subconscious that reared its ugly head at this moment in time, secretly pleased that what she was hearing meant that she would no longer have to worry about Maya being with someone else.

But it wasn't as if she was breaking up the couple, no. It was Maya's decision. Why should she feel guilty about it?

"_We're not acting like a couple. We're... still the same towards one another. I just keep picturing him as, well, Nick. Just my good old friend who is more like a brother than anything, really."_

"Oh... well... uh..." the young student had no idea how to contribute to the conversation now. But Maya continued to talk, which provided something to take up the otherwise lost reply.

"_... And... I think I like someone else anyways."_

"Someone... someone else?" Ema's heart froze on the borderline of joy and disappointment. What if this other person wasn't her?

What were the chances of it being her? For all she knew, the spirit medium was most likely straight.

"_Yeah. But I'm not so sure if they like me too. Heh..."_ Maya sounded distant and worried, quite a difference from how she normally sounded.

Ema bit her lip.

_I'm almost too afraid to ask, but here goes... _"Who is it?"

The small silence on the other end of the line led her to think that perhaps the other girl had abandoned the phone for a few seconds. However, the light breathing meant she was still there, just trapped in her thoughts.

"_I... I have to go!"_

"What? But..."

"_No, really... I haven't prepared lunch yet! Pearly's back and she's hungry. Talk to you later, okay?"_

"Um...Okay..."

Once they had both hung up, Ema let out a small sigh of disappointment and tried not to raise her hopes. Yet, as with most people, she ended up hoping anyway.

_What if it's me..._

* * *

It was finally the end of the working week, and the start of the weekend again. Saturday morning was filled with the usual sports report and weather forecast, followed by quick cup of coffee and buttered toast eaten whilst still in his blue pyjamas. Phoenix's hair was messed up from sleeping, and he tiredly ran a free hand through his untidy spikes, straightening them out so they looked a little more presentable.

He took a brief look around his apartment, taking note that he should probably hang the clean laundry where it belonged – in the wardrobe as opposed to the floor.

_Eh. I'll do it later._

There was something else he needed to do anyway. Something more worthwhile.

_Hopefully he won't be angry that I'm interrupting him at work._

The attorney reached for his phone on the wall and was just about to press the first button when he heard his door knock loudly. Frowning and placing the handset back down, he moved to open the door and was almost instantly bowled over by an individual who looked worse for wear.

"Niiiick! It's TERRIBLE! Diane told me she hates me! Why, Nick, WHY? What did I do to deserve this?!"

Phoenix just stared at Larry Butz with a face that had _"oh-god-not-again" _written all over it. He sighed and indicated towards the sofa. "T-take a seat..."

_He should have at least had the decency to say "good morning"... But I'll worry about that some other time._

Larry stumbled over to the couch – Phoenix concluded that the man's lopsided gait was either due to extreme misery or perhaps an early-morning drinking session that had resulted from said misery. Judging by the faint smell of beer on the guy's breath, it was probably the latter. Wracked and melodramatic sobs echoed throughout the entire apartment and the defense attorney was forced to pretend he was peacefully sitting outside in the park and not indoors with his heart-broken friend.

"Sh-she kept telling me that she's going out with HAROLD, now!" Larry blew his nose on his own sleeve and Phoenix was thankful that it wasn't his office shirt – currently draped over the sofa arm – that was being used as a handkerchief instead.

"Um. If it's any reconciliation, Harold's a funny name?"

_Now, Phoenix. Explain how exactly that was meant to help his situation._

"Y-y-you're right!" Larry gurgled, and Phoenix tried to ignore the unintentional pun that his surname provided in this instance, "Gee, Nick. You sure know how to make an old buddy feel better! You should be a counsellor!"

"Uh... Thanks?"

"Anyway." Larry straightened up and helped himself to the television remote, flicking to a channel that was broadcasting a fitness program featuring busty female instructors, "I met this new chick a couple of days ago, so it's no big deal." There was a cheesy grin on the playboy's face and he looked at his friend as if expecting a reward of some sort.

"What? Already?!" Phoenix just stared in disbelief. _And then you wonder why Diane suddenly doesn't take an interest in you any more._

"Yeah!" Larry continued to talk as if they were discussing the matter over breakfast. Which, technically, they were – if it weren't for the fact that Phoenix had already finished his toast and Larry had yet to eat something that would mask the scent of alcohol wafting from his throat. "Her name's Sophie and she's real cute! Like an angel..." a dreamy sigh and an equally dreamy mien on his face caused Phoenix to roll his eyes and divert his attention to something more worthwhile, such as the ant currently crawling next to his slipper.

"So... is that all, Larry?

Larry grinned and held his sleeve up, swinging it back and forth carelessly. Remembering that it was the same sleeve Larry had blown his nose on, Phoenix yelped and distanced himself. The other man seemed to take little notice of the reaction and just laughed. "Yep, I think I'm good to go. Thanks for all your help, Nick!"

_Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't remember actually helping him to any significant level..._

"Oooh, by the way." Larry lowered his arm, "I went to see Edgey yesterday to see how he was doing..."

Just the mere mention of the prosecutor's nickname was enough to cause Phoenix to snap back to attention.

"Really?"

_Please don't tell me he actually went to the High Prosecutor's Office and bothered Edgeworth for no reason. _

"Uh-huh, and he was totally out of it! You should have seen him, Nick!"

"Out... of it?"

Larry nodded, standing up and heading to the door whilst still talking, "...He was all absent-minded and stuff. He even forgot to tell me to 'get lost', which is what he normally says as soon as I even take one step into his office!"

The spiky-haired lawyer had stood up too by this point, and was regarding the words in amazement. "Are you sure you went to the right person's office, Larry?" he chuckled.

"Of course, dude! I'm not _dumb _or anything." The brown-haired man swayed slightly on the spot as he expressed what he thought was obvious.

_I wasn't suggesting he's dumb, but that's beside the point. _"Maybe he's sick?" The sentence came out with a little more concern saturating the words than he would have liked.

"Maybe. But if he was sick he wouldn't be at work, don't you reckon?"

"This is Edgeworth we're talking about. He's a workaholic. If he had the choice and ability to work in his sleep, I'm sure he'd do that too."

"Heh, I guess. Well, I'd better be off then. See ya later, Nick!" The miraculously-cheered-up man made his way out the door with a much more pleasant stride.

"Okay. Bye, Larry." Phoenix yawned and shut the door, before moving to switch off the television. By this point he was feeling that he should probably go and check up on Edgeworth himself. He quickly got changed into a sweater and jeans, fumbling around for his set of keys before deciding that it was wise to make that call first. Just to check if the prosecutor was in his office or not. Clumsy fingers pressed the number on speed dial that was listed for convenience.

…

… _You've reached the office of Miles Edgeworth, district prosecuting attorney. Unfortunately, I am unable to attend to your call at the moment, so please leave a message after the beep and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you._

Phoenix hung up before the beep could sound, emitting a sigh of concern. _That's odd. Usually he's in the office even on Saturdays._

Instead of wondering further, he proceeded to dial the other man's cell phone number in hopes that he would receive an answer this time.

…

"_Hello, Miles Edgeworth speaking."_

"Oh, thank god."

"_May I ask who is calling, please." _As expected, the prosecutor's voice was strict in tone.

"It's Phoe – uh... it's Wright."

"_Wright? Why are you calling this early in the morning?"_

"I..." _Oh man, what am I supposed to tell him... _"Well, Larry dropped by this morning crying about being dumped and everything, then I cheered him up by saying that his rival-in-love has a funny name. Then he cheered up somehow and told me that he went to see you yesterday but you looked 'out of it' or something. I was worried about you and decided to check up on things... You're not in at the office so that's why I called your cell."

"_As outrageous as your excuse sounds -"_

"It's not an excuse! It's true, that's what happened just n -"

"_I haven't finished my sentence, Wright. Don't jump to conclusions. I was going to say that I believed you anyway, since he did come in to visit me at my office yesterday."_

"Oh. Well. Yeah."

"_However, I am discordant to being... as you say, 'out of it'. I was merely tired at the time, that's all."_

"But even when tired you insist on focusing on your work, don't try and convince me otherwise... I'm not gonna fall for it, Miles." Phoenix sighed loudly, before gasping at the fact that he had addressed Edgeworth by his first name without meaning to. Again.

"_Why are you so concerned anyway? It is none of your business."_

"B-because I care about you? Is that a crime?"

…

_...What am I saying...? But... of course I care about him. As a friend. A friend._

"_..."_

Phoenix went red. Even though he knew Edgeworth couldn't see his face right now, he had the feeling that the prosecutor could tell he was embarrassed at his own words. What was said next, however, was very unexpected.

"_I..." T_he sound of breathing on the other end, _"... I'm not sick or anything, if that's what you're assuming. I am just...I... feel... I can't explain it... I..."_

It wasn't like Edgeworth to stumble over his words like that. Phoenix listened carefully, wishing he was face to face with the person he was talking to – it would have been easier to find out what he was hiding... but in the end he was surprised to suddenly hear a click and a dial tone.

_He hung up on me?!_

Irritated, the brunette dialled the number again and didn't receive an answer. He placed the phone back onto its cradle and hurriedly decided to take matters into his own hands, if a certain someone didn't want to tell him what was going on.

_Looks like I'm going to have to find out for myself._

_How dare that idiot try to pry his nose into someone else's personal matters._

Miles sat down at the breakfast table after having hung up the phone, trying his best to distract himself from thinking about how close he had been to confessing something he didn't want anybody else to know about. Especially not Wright.

And especially not when he wasn't even sure himself whether or not the confession revolved around a true problem. Maybe it was just a temporary illusion.

It would go away over time.

Larry had mentioned yesterday how Miles looked like he had someone on his mind.

"_You remind me of me when I'm in love, Edgey! People say I look all dreamy like that, haha!"_

Miles frowned in disgust. How pathetic. What on earth was Butz thinking, telling him that? Of course he wasn't love sick. Love was a waste of time, anyway. An emotion that was only pursued by those who had little else to worry about.

Yet...

Whenever _he_ looked at Miles... with those startlingly blue eyes...

… And that smile that seemed to light up even the darkest of days...

…

… _What is this..._

Shaking his head in disregard, Miles stood up and went to empty his half-eaten bowl of multi-grain oats into the waste disposal. His appetite had lowered along with his sense of calm.

The next couple of hours were spent throwing a soft frisbee around the backyard as Pesu chased it enthusiastically, before returning inside where she went upstairs to sleep under her owner's bed. Miles then moved on to progressing with his boring yet necessary signing of case documents in the living room. He had been told to take this Saturday off by the chief since more than one co-worker had observed his sudden change in focus at the office - they all piped in their opinions and suggested he get rest instead of coming in extra hours like he usually did. Not wanting to argue, Miles simply went along with their words for once.

Just as he had embellished the fourteenth file with his decorative signature, there was the chime of the doorbell and Miles fought the urge to ignore it and made himself walk over to the front door and pull it open a fraction. The person standing there to greet him looked a little worn-out, cheery and worried all at the same time. Even without his typical, cheap blue suit, Phoenix Wright was still easily recognisable.

"Wright... what are you doing here?!"

The attorney grinned, "Good morning to you, too. You have no idea how long it took me to find your address! I had to double check with Gumshoe after I came across about three M. Edgeworths in the phone book. I didn't know your surname was so popular."

"I find it strange that a man with the surname "Wright" is telling me this."

"Yeah, but your surname is not exactly something you come across everyday. To be honest, I was expecting you to be the only Edgeworth listed in the directory."

"If that's the case, then you have much to learn."

"Well..." Wright scratched the back of his head and grinned sheepishly, and Miles found himself staring at how endearing the action was. "M-may I come in? I have something for you."

Miles almost jumped. "Oh. Of course." He moved aside and cleared the entrance, "Of course, come inside and sit down." The statement was polite in nature yet still retained his usual air of refinement.

The two lawyers made themselves comfortable in the living room. Wright marvelled at how beautifully well-kept Miles' furniture and shelves were, and let out an exclamation of surprise at the collection of DVDs behind the glass cabinet.

"Um... yes." Miles cleared his throat uncomfortably as Wright read out loud that they were _"Steel Samurai Limited Edition Box Sets."_

"You and Maya would have a field day together, I swear."

"Are you done gawking at my possessions, yet?"

"Yes."

Miles rolled his eyes. "Get to the point, then."

Wright laughed, "God, you're so impatient..." he pulled something out from a small plastic bag on his lap that had surprisingly gone unnoticed until now, "I thought you could do with some cheering up. Here."

The prosecutor stared blankly at the item that was handed to him. It looked like a small string of colourful paper cranes.

"Wright... What is..." He dangled the cranes in front of his face and observed them through narrowed grey eyes, obviously at a loss for sensible words at the strange gift.

"Lesson number one in learning how to not-be-a-jerk: Say '_thank you'_ when given a present." Wright smirked and leant forward, ignoring the sudden aghast expression Miles was now showing him. "Do you like it? I made those cranes while I was in the taxi! I thought it would bring a smile to your face since it brings back funny memories of grade four when - "

"Yes, Wright, I'm aware of what memories you speak of. Just..." he placed the string of cranes on the coffee table and sighed. "Just don't elaborate on my once pathetic origami skills." The defense attorney looked saddened at the rejection of his present.

"You don't like it, do you."

Miles looked up. "What makes you think I don't like it?"

"It's so obvious you don't like it."

Sighing again, the prosecutor shook his head and chuckled lowly, catching his companion by surprise. "I never said that. I'm simply... not so good at expressing gratitude. But thank you very much, Wright. I appreciate the thought." He picked up the cranes again and observed the delicate patterns on each. "Where did you get the paper for these?"

Looking much more content that his gift was actually liked, Wright grinned and said something about Pearl giving him a pad of patterned origami sheets.

"I see." Miles replied, turning over the cranes between his fingers. He stood up and placed them inside the glass cabinet fondly before sitting down again. "Well, anyway. Would you care for a cup of tea or coffee? Are you hungry or anything?"

"Um... no, it's okay." Wright was now sitting with his hands between his knees, looking a bit nervous. "I'm just glad you like the gift, hehe." He sat up properly, "Now. Tell me what's wrong."

_Damn, I was hoping he would have forgotten about that. I have to give him credit for his persistence, I suppose._ The pale man frowned at his visitor a little too obviously.

"Is everything okay, Miles?"

"Yes... Everything is fine, don't worry." _He's calling me by my first name more often now..._

Heart thumping in his chest, Miles looked away and clutched his opposite arm slightly. It wasn't long before he felt the presence of something close to him and he turned around again, finding himself staring directly at Wright.

"Tell me. I promise I won't make fun of you." The look of earnestness in the other lawyer's gaze was so powerful it was almost hard for Miles not to spill out his feelings then and there.

"No no no. Nothing's wrong." Miles shifted backwards and shook his head. Wright, however, huffed disbelievingly and moved closer. The faint scent of his cheap cologne was now detectable, as well as his body heat; causing the prosecutor to feel light-headed all of a sudden.

"You're all clammy, Miles... I told you, if something is wrong, let me know – I want to help you." By now, the man had one of his warm hands pressed against the prosecutor's forearm in a comforting gesture, ignoring the flinch that accompanied the motion. "I'm here for you. That's what a friend is for, like they say."

_If only you knew how I truly felt, Wright... I … Think I see you as more than a friend. _Miles shuddered unintentionally and felt a wave of confusion wash over him at those thoughts.

"Hey, you're shaking a little... Do you feel sick?" the spiky-haired attorney was now gripping both of his arms and staring at him with honest concern in those deep blue eyes of his. "Maybe you should lie down for a while."

"Wright, stop it!" Before he knew what he was doing, Miles had pushed his guest away, feeling suffocated. "Leave me alone."

…

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude on your personal space like that." A shuffle and the blue-eyed man went to sit back in his spot, looking more than a little crestfallen.

…

"N-no. It's alright. Please, stop worrying, Phoenix."

It was like something had made him say the attorney's first name without realising. Like something had broken that sphere of puritanical preservation around him for once, allowing him to address his childhood friend on more casual terms. Why was it such a task in itself?

"You... you called me Phoenix."

"... And...?"

"Y-you never call me by my first name."

"Do you not want me to?"

Phoenix stared. "I want you to." The statement was soft but to the point, and Miles respected that.

"Phoenix..." Why was it harder to say it a second time? He had spent his childhood referring to him as such_, _after all. The name tasted strangely pleasant on his tongue, yet it would still take some getting used to.

"Yes, Miles?"

"... Oh... Nothing." He hadn't even been aware that he had just repeated the other lawyer's first name out loud to himself.

"Heh, just getting used to it, huh? That's okay." Phoenix grinned. "You don't mind me calling you by _your_ first name either, do you?"

"... I suppose not."

"That's good." The defense attorney laughed lightly, "... You still haven't told me what's wrong though." That concerned look had returned again.

"No, no... Don't worry. Everything's okay." Miles shook his head briefly and occupied himself by staring at some deer-shaped, glass figurines that stood on top of a nearby shelf. "By the way," he made an effort at changing the topic, if only temporarily, "I'm leaving on a business trip on Monday."

"What?" Phoenix sounded very disappointed. "And we only just got round to spending more time with one another too! Such short notice..." he pouted like a child.

"I'll be back in a fortnight. So there's no need to look so distraught." Miles commented reassuringly, feeling so touched on the inside that Phoenix didn't want him to leave. The hint of a smile warmed his face and he turned away again, feeling himself blush. Of course, with that pale complexion he sported, it was only natural that any blood rising just beneath the skin would be more obvious than normal.

"B-but... A fortnight's aaaaages!" The brunette was complaining loudly and he slumped backwards onto the couch. "And my birthday is less than two weeks away, too! I wanted you to be there."

The prosecutor suddenly felt awful. _His birthday... I had completely forgotten..._

"Phoenix, I'm so sorry. This business trip was beyond my planning. It was suddenly brought up at the office... They require me in England for a while, unfortunately."

"I know, I know. I'm being selfish." Phoenix looked up sadly, "I understand completely, Miles. You do what you have to do." He smiled a little bit but the prosecutor could see how hurt he looked deep inside, and felt even more guilty.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise anymore."

"I cannot help it. I ... feel terrible about this."

"Don't! There's no need for that! It's just a celebration revolving around me getting old and wrinkly anyway, haha." Phoenix had stood up and was again kneeling next to the seat Miles was in. "I'm just glad I got the chance to see you today, and we can talk together like this."

"Yes, I guess so."

"So don't beat up on yourself for not being here after Monday, okay? Maya's returning from Kurain tomorrow, I think. So I'll have company."

Miles' eyes widened. "Are you going to tell her?"

"Tell her what? My birthday?"

"No... I was referring to what you mentioned to me the other day. How you said you think you don't have feelings for her after all."

"Ah, that." Phoenix swallowed. "Yeah. I'm going to tell her... It's not working out. And... " he looked away, "I'm starting to think that I've fallen in love for real this time, I don't know. But I've fallen for someone else..."

There was a silence that went on for longer than necessary, until Phoenix stood up and headed for the door. "I'll... uh... Do you want me to see you off at the airport on Monday, if I have time?"

Miles suddenly looked shaky, "Don't go out of your way to do that. My flight leaves at five in the morning, anyway."

"... O-oh..."

"It's too much trouble. You could use the extra hours to sleep in instead of worrying about me." By now he had also stood up and was following Phoenix to the front door. "And... Good luck with this new person you like, by the way. I'll see you later."

"I... Okay. Bye, Miles."

"Bye. Thank you for dropping by, Phoenix."

The defense attorney nodded before walking out and Miles shut the door slowly. A few seconds passed in which he stared absent-minded at the dark, painted wood of its surface, before turning around and moving back to his seat. A range of emotions welled up inside of him.

Sadness, hurt, love, anger... It was difficult to sort them out and put them aside.

Burying his head in his hands he exhaled and felt regret washing over him.

_I should have told him how I felt earlier... But it's too late for me now. He's in love with someone else... _


	7. Chapter Seven

**"Jumping to Conclusions"**

_***~Chapter Seven~***_

It was Monday. Maya had returned to Los Angeles with her cousin the day before and was now currently busy dusting cobwebs from the office's ceiling fan that hadn't been used since last summer. Pearl was helping to support the chair she was standing on, just in case it toppled over.

"Maybe I should use a ladder..." Maya mumbled to herself, visually scanning the office for one.

"We don't have a ladder," Phoenix replied from the small bathroom to the left, where he just so happened to be scrubbing the toilet due to boredom, "but we have a stepladder in the store room."

"Don't even start on that whole ladder-stepladder thing again, Nick!" The older spirit medium huffed and got down off the chair. "You know what, I'm hungry."

"You're ALWAYS hungry."

Ignoring him, she looked around for something to eat and settled with a handful of soft mints from a jar on Phoenix's desk.

_I guess these will have to do for now... _

Maya popped one into her mouth and chewed on it thoughtfully, handing another one to Pearl who took it and mentioned how it reminded her of the round pebbles used in the miniature garden along the Winding Way back in Kurain.

Laughing, the nineteen year old suggested that her cousin go and take a break from the office chores and go draw something. Once she had left her side, Maya gazed off out the window and only just remembered that she still hadn't told Phoenix she wanted to break up with him.

_Argh..._ She mentally scolded herself for being so careless.

"I think I should be known as the best toilet cleaner in the city." Phoenix said proudly, as if the title was not degrading in a sense at all. He strode out of the bathroom moments later, shirt sleeves rolled up and wearing bright orange rubber gloves; a scrubbing brush in one hand and a bottle of _Cillit Bang_ in the other. The look of satisfaction plastered on his face was enough to tell Maya that Phoenix really needed to get out more.

"Um... Nick? That's the third time you've cleaned the toilet... In one hour."

"So what? At least now you know that whenever you need to 'go', your seat is sparkling."

Maya made a face.

"Actually, you probably shouldn't use it... You might dirty it again and then I'll have t - "

"What's the point then?" The spirit medium looked at him in disbelief. "We might as well just keep the toilet only for display!" She put on an imitation carnival announcer's voice, "_Come see the Wright and Co. Law Offices toilet! It shines with more intensity than the sun itself! Tickets are five dollars! No photography, please!"_

Her hands were held in front of her as if she were revelling in some sort of invisible object of desire.

"Maya, I'm not THAT obsessed with keeping it clean."

"Sure, Nick. And my hair is actually green. Hey, that rhymes! Now if only you could keep your apartment as hygienic as that bathroom then all would be great!"

"Hey, my apartment is hygienic! Just... messy?"

Maya took no notice of his defense and leant against the desk. "You know what, I think you're just trying to distract yourself from something." Her mouth twisted into a thoughtful pout and she held a finger to her lips as she looked upwards, trying to figure out what to say next. "Come to think of it, you've been kinda down ever since we opened up the office today."

"Am not." Phoenix objected, rolling his eyes, "you're looking too far into things... I'm just bored because no clients have contacted us and all of the paperwork from our last cases were completed last week."

"No, it's more than boredom," Maya looked at him closely... "It's like something is on your mind."

"..."

"See? I can tell. Out with it!"

"..." Phoenix sighed, defeated. "I just feel bad for not waking up on time to see Miles off at the airport this morning. He's gone overseas again... Left for the U.K on business-related matters." At those words, the defense attorney moved to sit on the couch, still wearing the gloves. He placed the scrubbing brush and disinfectant to the side casually.

_He's worried about that? And since when did he call Mr Edgeworth by his first name that way? _Maya took a seat next to him, and it was quiet between them. Pearl's scribbling could be heard from somewhere on the floor next to Charley the plant.

"He's not gonna be here for two weeks... I wanted him to celebrate my birthday with me, too."

"Aww, Nick, it's okay." Maya leant closer and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend. Strangely, she felt no spark of desire from any of the contact they shared. It had been like that ever since they started dating a while ago. If anything, Maya felt a different love towards him... A love that was similar to how she felt towards Pearl and Mia. Sibling affection – and she knew now, definitely, that Phoenix was more like a big brother to her instead of a romantic partner.

_Should I tell him now? Maybe I should wait... He's already depressed as it is._

Observing his expression, Maya could tell that Phoenix felt genuine sadness as she looked at his eyes – two blue orbs currently gazing off into space.

"What time did his flight depart?"

"... Five o'clock this morning."

_He should have reminded me before to wake him up early …! It would have been easy for me since I'm used to getting up at around that time anyway._

"Hmm... Well, I'm sure he wouldn't have wanted you to go out of your way for him, so don't worry too much."

…

"He didn't. But still... I wanted to see him before he left."

There was another look in Phoenix's eyes now, as he gazed at nothing in particular... They seemed to show a certain _wanting. _

_No way..._

Maya gulped and turned away, not sure if she should trust her interpretation to mean what she was thinking it meant. It took a few moments before she turned back to her friend, "Just think, Nick. Two weeks! Fourteen days. The time will fly."

"Hmm." The response wasn't lively or animated at all. "I wanted to see him."

"You make it sound like he's _dead_, or something."

"Maya, that's not funny." Phoenix had obviously been reminded of that time when he had been led to think - that for an entire year, Miles Edgeworth had indeed died. The defense attorney ripped off his gloves and threw them to the side carelessly, leaning back on the sofa and looking miserable.

_I don't know if I'm jumping to conclusions here_, Maya thought, _but... I think he's in love with -_

"Hey, anybody hooooome?" There was a hand waving around in front of her face and she jumped.

"What the?"

"Maya, you looked so spaced out! And so does Mr Wright... " Ema Skye regarded the pair on the couch, looking entertained. "You didn't even notice me creep in!"

Phoenix looked up slowly. "Usually, people knock first..."

"I did." Ema frowned at him. "Nobody answered to begin with."

"What about Pearly?" Maya leant over to check if her cousin was still drawing on the floor.

"_She_ let me in eventually. But you two didn't..." Ema put on a false hurt voice.

From somewhere around Ema's waistline, Pearl popped up, chewing on her thumbnail. "Sorry, Mystic Maya... But it's not as if Ema's a stranger... So I let her in."

"That's okay, Pearly." Maya smiled at her cousin and looked up at Ema again. The younger teenager looked happy to see her.

"Anyway! I missed you soooo much!" she quickly bent down to hug Maya tightly, to which the spirit medium chuckled brightly. Phoenix was distracted by how much noise they were making, laughing and all.

"... Um..." The attorney butted in, feeling a bit awkward next to the pair of them. "Why don't you two go out for a while? I need to … sort things out."

"But I thought you didn't have anything to do in here today! It's been boring as heck!" Maya retorted quickly, indicating to the cleaning products abandoned on the floor from earlier.

"Eh."

"Mr Wright, are you feeling okay?" Ema looked at him curiously.

"Just dandy." Phoenix replied, forcing a smile on his face.

"... Oh...kay then."

"Shoo, both of you." The lawyer made a gesture with his hands. He wasn't being rude, just playfully implying that the two girls go and do something else. "Take Pearls, if she wants to go."

"I wanna stay here and help Mr Nick sort out what he needs to sort out," Pearl piped up enthusiastically, as if sorting out things in a law firm was by far more exciting to a nine-year old child than spending time outside in the sun with other friends.

"Uh... Maybe its better if you come with us."

"No! I want to help Mr Nick – he looks so sad anyway. Can I, Mystic Maya?"

A pair of light brown, doe-like eyes looked at the older cousin imploringly.

"Alright, fine."

"Yay!" The tiny figure gripped her relative's waist affectionately and smiled widely. "Don't worry about us!"

Maya shrugged. "It's not like you'd give me a choice anyway, Pearly. Be good, okay?"

"You got it, Mystic Maya!"

Phoenix smiled warmly at the nine year-old – for someone who had been through so much, she always managed to smile and brighten up anyone's day so easily.

"Shouldn't you be at school, Ema?" Maya asked the other girl, as they walked around the park, sprinkling bread into the lake for the ducks to nibble on,

"I only had to go in for Trigonometry and English today," Ema replied nonchalantly, taking a sip out of the drink she had bought. "So I thought it would be nice to spend time with you." Finishing off the beverage, she tossed the empty bottle into the closest recycle bin.

"Aww," Maya grinned, before taking into account how fast her heart was pounding as the other teenager looked at her fondly. "I... Thanks."

"No problem," Ema said gently. "It's great to see you again."

"It's only been... What, a week!" Maya giggled, as they continued on their walk, exiting the park and heading towards a local clothes store. The shop wasn't filled with customers due to school hours. Otherwise, it would have been swarming with girls the same age as they were.

"Let's go and try on stuff!" Ema whispered excitedly, pulling her friend over to a clothes rack displaying a

range of outfits marked at twenty percent off. The sales assistant smiled in a welcoming manner towards them.

"Those dresses are hot this season!" she said in reference to the clothing on sale, chewing on gum and filing her brightly-painted nails as she leant on the counter. "Don't wanna miss out on those deals!" Surprisingly, she didn't question why Ema was not currently at school. Especially since her lab coat and uniform stood out just as much as Maya's acolyte robes.

Grinning back at the woman, Ema and Maya picked out things at random as the assistant went to replace the roll of receipt paper in the cash register.

"How about this one?" The student pulled out a pretty, pale yellow dress with a beaded scarf tied around the waist.

Maya tilted her head as she observed the garment. "Nah, I like this one here. It will look nicer on you."

With those words she put the yellow dress back in its place and pulled out a lovely, dark pink number. "Try this on instead."

Ema blushed and moved to the changing rooms, mumbling an okay. Maya waited for her, taking interest in a purple article of clothing that looked silky to the touch. She wondered if she should try that on while waiting. Not bothering to think twice, she did just that.

The garment fit perfectly as Maya ran her hands over her form in front the mirror behind the curtain of her changing room. The fine material hugged her hips lightly, feeling cool to the touch...And she couldn't help but think whether or not Ema would agree it looked nice too.

"I'm done!" The sound of the next cubicle's curtain swinging open alerted Maya.

"Oh, I'm in here." She pulled open the curtain to her own room and Ema quickly stepped inside without a second thought, drawing the folds shut again.

"Wow..." she whispered quietly, "You look so pretty in that! It fits you soooo well!" By now the eighteen year old's brown eyes were wide in amazement. "Your figure looks really good, Maya."

Maya smiled, before the words caught up with her. "Wh-what? You think so?" There was a small laugh of appreciation and she twisted herself in front of the mirror to get a view from all angles. She then properly looked at Ema and regarded her appearance in return. A small gasp escaped her mouth.

It had been difficult to tell before, what with the whole baggy laboratory coat that normally hung off her shoulders, but Ema Skye looked absolutely breathtaking in a fitted dress. Maya realised just how difficult it was for her to form understandable words at this point, so instead, she had to make to with pointing at her and stuttering.

"You... You like it?" Ema smiled shyly and did a little playful curtsey.

"Yeah!" Maya's mouth had finally agreed to cooperate with her. "So nice..." Her voice was a little too breathy for her liking, but that was probably due to the cramped space available.

_We're in here like this... It's so closed-in..._

Her pulse quickened and she only just noticed how close Ema was to her. The other girl smelt of sweet perfume and something else that couldn't quite be distinguished, but whatever it was, Maya liked it. She liked it a lot.

"Uh..." _Oh no, what do I say now? I feel... funny..._

"Maya." Ema whispered, almost too quietly, "Remember when you told me that you liked someone else...?"

Maya gulped. Could it be that Ema felt the exact same way? "Yes..."

"Wh-who... Who is it...?"

Now was one of those times when a distraction was readily welcomed with open arms. Now was one of those times when anything would have been less awkward than being stuck in a changing room with a person you held base desires for.

She wanted to make a break for it. She wanted to just flee the shop entirely. But two things stopped her. One, she wasn't in her own clothes, and two, Ema's presence was just so alluring. So instead, Maya did the one thing that even she herself had no control over at that precise moment. She leant forward and kissed the younger girl on the lips, lingering over her mouth for longer than intended. The contact between them caused Maya's nerves to dance with a warm fire, the tingling sensation spread over her entire being and she felt herself go weak at the knees for an instant.

As a future master of the Kurain Channelling Technique, Maya's mind kept trying to persuade her to avoid this. It was against tradition to put relationships before her responsibility as a spirit medium... let alone a relationship with another female. Was it even allowed? Would her ancestors tolerate it?

_It doesn't matter... does it?_

Deep within her heart, Maya knew that what she was doing was not wrong. If she loved someone, she couldn't help it. And loving somebody like this was nothing to be ashamed for.

Their lips separated. Once she had moved away, Ema was gazing back at her, looking both shocked and pleasantly delighted before raising her hand to touch were Maya had kissed her. Both of them were so red in the face that it would probably have been difficult to spot a tomato if it was held next to their skin.

"I... I..."

"M-Maya...?"

Without another word, the spirit medium leant in again and lightly kissed Ema in the same place, lips then proceeding to drift over the brown-haired girl's cheek and jawline, before pressing against the beautifully perfect skin of a slender neck. Maya didn't know exactly what she was doing, but she continued... For some reason, it felt right.

"W-wait... we shouldn't... here..." Ema lightly pushed her backwards, breathlessly. Maya nodded in understanding and indicated towards their own clothes, suggesting they change back into them and leave.

"Alright..." Ema awkwardly moved back to her own change room before checking that the coast was clear. In a matter or minutes, both girls had redressed themselves back into their own outfits, walking out and returning the borrowed attire back to the clothes rack.

"Have a great day, ladies." The assistant smiled after them, as they left.

Maya's lips curled upward into an embarrassed smile as she felt Ema's hand brush against hers as they walked. Not without saying, it did look as if her day would be a whole lot brighter.

There was nothing to sort out, after all.

Phoenix had spent most of his time playing noughts and crosses with Pearl, who had for some reason thought that playing a simple game on paper would completely wipe that frown off the defense attorney's face. He knew the young girl's intentions were good, but he still couldn't help but be led astray by thoughts revolving around a prosecutor who was now on a plane somewhere above the North Atlantic Ocean.

"Looks like you beat me again, Pearls," Phoenix concluded dully, after their twenty-fifth match. To be honest, the novelty had worn off after their fourth game, and the lawyer had resorted to just marking crosses on the grid randomly without even looking anymore.

"Let's play something else, Mr Nick." Pearl said, crumpling up the used sheet of paper into a ball and discarding it. "How about dots and squares? You can start. I'll draw up the dot-map if you want!"

Phoenix sighed and gave a weak smile. "Actually, maybe we should take a nap or something." He drooped onto his desk and leant his head on his folded arms, closing his eyes without a further thought.

"Mr Nick!" Pearl huffed, getting up off her chair and walking behind the desk to poke Phoenix sharply in the ribs, causing a hiss of pain and a jolt of shock from the attorney, "Don't sleep on the job!"

"But there's no work to doooo." The man's voice was whiny and child-like - capable of putting even the little spirit medium to shame.

"At least _pretend_ you're awake till Mystic Maya and Ema get back." Pearl simpered, chewing on her thumb nail again. "Otherwise they might laugh at you."

Phoenix sniffed. _I couldn't really care less if the whole of California laughed at me right now. I just wanna sleep. Why AM I so tired, anyway? Am I bored to the point where sleeping seems more worthwhile or what?_

_Am I depressed?_

…

… _Why the hell would I be depressed?_

"I'm going to water Charley, okay?" Pearl interrupted his self-monologue and walked off to get a glass of water from the bathroom, not waiting for Phoenix's confirmation. Some seconds later she returned to the main office, supporting a glass filled to the brim with water that splashed over the lip with every step she took.

"C-careful! The carpet's getting soaked, Pearls." Phoenix sat upright and motioned for her to slow down so that he wouldn't have to spend his next moments absorbing water from the floor using old paper towels.

Once Charley was well-nourished, the two human occupants of the room went quiet again. Pearl decided to go and make paper flowers on the sofa, whilst Phoenix resumed his little nap right where he sat at his desk.

…

…

…

"Wake up, sleepyhead!"

…

_Five more minutes..._

…

…

"Wow, Mr Wright's a heavy sleeper, huh."

"Nick! What the heck do you think you're doing? Stop snoozing already!"

…

…

_Go awaaaaay._

…

…

"If you don't get up now, I'm gonna give you a wedgie!"

… "Whaaa!" Phoenix sat bolt upright, his eyes clouded with drowsiness and his hair slightly dishevelled. "Maya...! You're back..."

"Yeah," Maya snorted, "we've been back for about fifteen minutes now. Pearly says you've been sleeping since about midday. It's almost three-thirty pm... Ema's helping Pearly colour her paper flowers – she's made tonnes!"

"Oh." Phoenix rubbed the small amount of sleep that had gathered at the corners of his eyes during his long nap. Failing to stifle a yawn, he stretched and was soon subjected to laughter as Maya pointed directly at his face.

"You've got crease lines on your cheek!" she blurted out between giggles, "The folds on your shirt sleeves must have made indents in your skin or something. They'll take a bit to fade, ahaha."

"That's just... lovely." Phoenix frowned, moving a hand up to his face to touch the aforementioned marks on his visage, "So... Putting my face aside," he continued monotonously, "what did you two get up to?"

Maya quickly went bright red. "We just... You know, walked around the park then went to try on clothes..." she mumbled, suddenly taking a keen interest towards the drawstring hanging from the Venetian blinds, "... And then we went to go eat lunch and sat at the park some more. You know, I think they're going to hold a spring festival there soon."

"Ah." Phoenix nodded and pulled a pen out from his front pocket to fidget with. "Well... I've just been... playing noughts and crosses and sleeping and getting picked on by you and all."

"Hey, no fair! I was doing you a favour! If I hadn't woken you up you would have slept through till night time, who knows."

"Even _I'm_ not that negligent, Maya."

"Whatever, Nick. By the way, is it okay if Ema spends the night at the apartment with us? Her sister's gonna be working till late tonight and... Yeah."

_But Ema's eighteen, it's not like she's a little girl anymore. But I suppose it wouldn't do any harm. I guess it gets boring at home when your older sister works too much and doesn't spend enough time with you._

"If there's room, she can." Phoenix shrugged, and Maya jumped on the spot excitedly. "Thanks Nick! I knew you'd say yes!"

_But I didn't even give a straight answer..._

And so it was. By eight o'clock that night, the four of them were on the living room floor lying on their stomachs on top of an old blanket, playing snakes and ladders after dinner. It was Pearl's idea, of course. Phoenix didn't even bother to play correctly; rolling the dice with as much enthusiasm as an old prisoner faced with the daily bowl of gruel. It was not long before this game wore thin and the three girls decided to watch television instead, leaving Phoenix free to go off and mull over thoughts with a cup of hot cocoa in the kitchen.

The ovaltine he was currently dissolving in hot milk reminded him of what Miles had said the other week. Something about Gregory Edgeworth making hot chocolate for them as kids... yeah, that was it. A small smile played across his mouth and he sat down to skim over some old issues of magazines on the table.

_I wonder how he's doing right now... maybe he's already landed in the U.K..._

How long did it take to fly from Los Angeles to London, anyway? Phoenix had no clue whatsoever, especially since he himself had never so much as set foot on a plane in his life.

_Man... as if it was bad enough already that I can't drive... I haven't flown either. I'm getting old and I've experienced nothing!_

Speaking of getting old... his twenty-seventh birthday was little over a week away.

_Oh splendid. I can't wait._ The thoughts were about as bitter as a cup of Prosecutor Godot's custom blend continued to crawl by and Phoenix stared blankly at the clock on the wall, taking note that it was almost ten o'clock pm, and that he had been loafing around for over an hour now doing nothing but thinking of pointless topics.

_I should get to bed. It's not doing me any good moping around the kitchen. I still haven't told Maya about the break-up yet. I'll do it tomorrow._

Not long afterwards, after a quick shower, followed by informing his three younger guests that they were to tidy up after themselves before going to sleep, Phoenix was lying face-up on his bed under the thick duvet, staring at the ceiling and trying to count sheep in his mind. Yet his efforts were in vain; counting sheep did little to suppress the nagging words that kept entering his head over and over again.

"_B-because I care about you? Is that a crime?" _

…

That wasn't such a suspicious thing to say, was it?

…

"_I'm just glad I got the chance to see you today, and we can talk together like this."_

…

By now the sleepless attorney was starting to think that he was feeling much more than friendship towards him... _him_. The man who made his pulse race faster than should be allowed, the man whose resplendent appearance caused him to stare for longer than necessary... the man who spoke with such refinery in that smooth, accented voice that sent pleasant chills coursing through his nerves.

…

"_I'm starting to think that I've fallen in love for real this time. But I've fallen for someone else..."_

…

Intense grey eyes that seemed to control Phoenix's heart rate at will... Eyes that could see into his very soul... Devouring him in an almost predatory sense... Enveloping his entire being with a stare that could freeze water or melt ice, depending on the situation.

…

Turning to lie on his side and cuddling up against one of his pillows, Phoenix Wright was suddenly exposed to feelings that he knew he had probably kept locked up for a very, very long time.

_Miles... I think I love you._

The last thing he saw before he finally drifted off to sleep, was a glint of silvery irises and a tiny but gentle smile.

Back in the living room, Pearl had taken refuge under a pile of blankets on the old sofa. She had fallen asleep halfway through a movie marathon Ema and Maya had started to watch, but that was probably a good thing, since the remaining films were mostly of the horror genre. The comedies that were shown earlier were good for a laugh, but of course, laughing too much after a long day only made you more tired.

"Should we just leave her here?" Ema whispered as Maya finally switched off the television, dusting popcorn crumbs off her pyjamas.

"Yeah... she does that a lot. She likes the sofa." Maya whispered back, tucking her cousin in properly and making sure she wasn't at risk of falling over the edge. "I'm exhausted myself... I'm going to bed."

"Okay."

At that moment, Maya suddenly realised that she had the leisure of sleeping in her own room that Phoenix had kindly donated to her for the purpose of her visits, but Ema didn't exactly have somewhere to sleep.

"Hey... Ema?" The spirit medium felt herself becoming embarrassed over such a trivial matter, "Do you want to sleep in my room, then?"

Ema's tired look faltered for a second as her expression morphed into that of a deer in headlights.

_My question wasn't THAT weird, was it? _Maya wondered to herself, staring at how cute Ema suddenly looked.

"If it's not too much trouble..."

"Why would it be, silly? I wouldn't ask you otherwise."

Ema giggled a bit and the pair of them made their way to Maya's small and neat room upstairs. The bed was a futon – probably because Maya was more familiar with the traditional Japanese style of living that was followed in her village. The curtains, like her usual costume, were varying hues of purple. A few posters were hanging on the walls and a sturdy desk stood in the corner showing little to no signs of use.

"This looks cosy," Ema said quietly with a smile.

"It does, doesn't it?" Maya rocked on her heels and drew the curtains closed properly before moving to shut the door behind them. She then released the beads from her hair, letting the mass fall loose and free from the confines of the glass hair accessories. Ema gulped and took in the sight with saucers for eyes.

Maya pretended not to notice but the small hint of a grin crossed her lips."Um..." That wave of embarrassment hit her again, "... You can sleep in my bed, if you want. I'll go and ask Nick for a spare quilt so I can set up next to you."

"Isn't he asleep though?" Ema mentioned in reply, looking like she was more than ready to camp on the bare floor in fear of causing any more trouble, "D-don't wake him! Scientific research has proven that suddenly waking up someone can lead to - "

"Pffft, it's Nick. I'm sure he'll be happy to help."

… _Or else I'll threaten to curse him again. Heh heh heh …_

After much deliberation and whispered, pointless bickering, Maya finally concluded that Ema was to sleep in her futon. Next to her. Under the same covers.

So they did. For a large-ish futon, it seemed very small now that two people were taking up space.

Ema's breathing was laboured and soft, and each breath lightly tickled Maya's skin. It was after several minutes of laying there together that Maya turned around completely and the events from earlier did a replay in her memory.

She found herself face-to-face with the other girl who now looked more awake – most likely due to the fact that she was also thinking of the same thing.

For someone who had been the recipient of a kiss given by another girl behind the flimsy curtains of public change room, Ema Skye was surprisingly not too shocked about it anymore. Instead, she asked Maya whether or not she had meant it.

"Of course I meant it." Maya snuggled closer to her friend and reached up to play with a part of hair that had fallen over Ema's cheek. The silky strands slipped through her fingers like melted chocolate. "I really, really like you."

_More like, I love you. Should I say it now...?_

The eighteen year-old blushed, barely detectable in the now dark room if it weren't for the tell-tale heat that radiated off her face. "I... Maya..." Her words were fragile and made her seem all that more susceptible. Suddenly, the normally bold Ema Skye was reduced to a sensitive girl who was facing the one person she had been pursuing.

Whatever words that were going to be spoken next were swallowed in a kiss as Maya moved closer and slipped easily into the curves of her relaxed form, wrapping slender arms around a slender waist and pulling them together so that their bodies were touching almost completely.

"Ema... you have no idea how much I want you," the kiss was broken and her voice was filled with desire and it sounded fairly unlike her... yet a lot like her. Maya Fey always got what she wanted if she tried hard enough, after all.

The delicate body of her partner was shivering slightly against hers. Ema closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of the young woman holding her, proceeding to move her own arms so that she too held Maya in an equally affectionate embrace. Their lips met again, this time with a much more gentle approach. Both mouths eventually parted and the spirit medium felt a shock of thrill course through her veins as their tongues touched, each one warm against the other.

By now their hands were wandering... touching, stroking over warm flesh beneath loose sleepwear... fingernails brushing lightly over the sensitive areas of skin on their hips and backs. Whispered moans left them both as they continued to engage in their activity, feeling more and more perceptive to each new touch that they experienced.

A concerned murmur met Maya's ears.

"Wh-what about Mr Wright? I thought..."

Maya placed a finger over Ema's lips gently. "I... I only see him as a brotherly figure." The realisation that she hadn't yet told Phoenix about breaking-up suddenly raised its head again. _I completely forgot about that... again..._

"So what's going to happen between you two? What about his feelings...?"

Maya grinned and hummed. "I'm pretty sure Nick likes someone else too."

"... Who is it?" Ema was eager to find out, tensing up in excitement. "Is it someone we know?"

"Shhh... I'm not one-hundred percent sure yet," Maya answered quietly, "... But I have a strong feeling it's Mr Edgeworth... I think."

"Oh my god!" Ema gasped, putting a hand to her mouth. "Really? How can you tell?"

"Well," Maya laughed silently, "when you've been around Nick for as long as I have, you learn to pick up on his little quirks. I mean, the guy practically daydreams about him, I swear. And he's so much more awkward around Mr Edgeworth... And when people bring him up in conversation, he perks to attention. Don't forget the whole thing about him becoming a lawyer just so he could meet him again."

"That's so cute." Ema was now laughing too, muffling herself using the futon covers. She, like Maya, had seemed to forget whatever intimate activities they were previously caught up in. "Aw, we should set them up. Or at least find out if Mr Edgeworth likes Mr Wright in return."

"Seeing as Mr Edgeworth already kinda passes off as gay, that makes the chances even greater." The spirit medium had a firm tone to her voice as if it were obvious. Which it was, in a manner of speaking.

"Is that just because he dresses so … pink and frilly?" Ema was practically stifling her laughter now.

"... And the fact that he likes roses so much and has an office that's so colour-coordinated it's scary. Not to mention that Nick once told me Mr Edgeworth once told him he felt _unnecessary feelings._"

"Ohhhhh."

Maya nodded, continuing. "You know, Nick's birthday is approaching! And he was so sad because he wanted Mr Edgeworth to spend time with him on the day... but this morning he left to fly over to England on business-related matters... He won't be back for two weeks."

"That's too bad," Ema mumbled sympathetically, "What day is Mr Wright's birthday?"

"April Fool's."

"Pfffft! Seriously? Ahahaha! Poor guy!"

"Shhhh!"

As expected, the two girls didn't get much sleep afterwards. They stayed up until three in the morning, poking fun at the possible relationship brewing between the two lawyers and also making jokes about Phoenix's birthday. Maya wondered what to get him as a gift, and the two teenagers settled on planning a surprise party with a group of friends. Finally, both girls had to give in the the beckon of slumber that tugged at their eyelids. Ema curled up closer to Maya, planting a kiss on her cheek and wrapping her arms around her more firmly as Maya ran fingers over her scalp.

"Goodnight."

Closing her eyes, Maya knew that this was the person she wanted to be with more than anyone.


	8. Chapter Eight

_**Author's Notes: **_

Aaaah sorry again for the late updates kdfjhdfjg. /spazz Lol I'm so bad at keeping up with these things, ahahaha. D: Well, here you go then. XD

*SPOILER ALERT (Don't read the following italic text if you haven't played the third game - then again why are you even reading this story lmao. FFFF *punches you*)

_I recently found out that apparently Godot ends up in prison at the end of the third game or something? I'm only up to the first case in Trials and Tribulations so I have no idea if this is true or not and I don't want to spoil myself any further ahahah *hypocrite*. But yeah. He's in this chapter anyways because I didn't know. D: Don't kill meeee! XD Just pretend he never went to prison, if he actually does go there in the game. I've kind of messed up the story enough as it is anyway since I don't plan on making Phoenix a hobo. /is stoned to death._

*End of Spoiler alert of something*

**Disclaimer: The characters and settings created by CAPCOM that are featured in this story are solely owned by their creators. I do not claim them as mine in any way, shape or form. I am not recieving monetary profit from having written this story and no copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

**"Jumping to Conclusions"**

_***~Chapter Eight~***_

***

London was cold. Bitterly cold.

For an individual who had mostly grown up in Germany, Miles found that even he was not exactly wanting to remain in the chill. Thankfully though, the Sanderson Hotel had wonderful heating and the prosecutor was more than thankful for the temperature change as he entered his room after returning from a trip to the department store. A light green bag was placed on his desk; a collection of small souvenirs purchased for several people back in The United States. Of course, now that he had completed the small shopping trip, Miles was moving on to focus on more important matters such as why he was in this foreign land to begin with. It was three days since he had arrived in England and until now, his time had been spent chasing down taxi after taxi, as well as reading important documents in between. This time he was able to relax a little, settling down onto his bed and putting his legs up. The dreaded case work was still piled up at his side though.

_... Submission of affidavits..._ The prosecutor flipped over pages and thought quietly to himself, silently reading parts in his head. _Second day of deliberations... Disregarding of substantial rights... Constitutional violations... Orchestrated emergency phone calls initiated by the defendant... _

… _I feel so exhausted for some reason. _

Miles carefully placed his pile of papers onto the night-stand and yawned, covering his hand with his mouth. The bed he was currently laying on was invitingly soft and comfortable, and it took a lot of mental effort to control his overwhelming desire to just fall asleep without properly freshening up first.

The shower gel supplied by the hotel in the bathroom smelt quite pleasant – a terrific variation from the usual blandly-scented gel that was normally available in other hotels. Miles lathered up a shower puff and cleansed himself all over, relaxing as the warm water cascaded down his toned body like it was carved from smooth stone. His hair had changed from its silvery hue to a stronger grey as it was washed, the water darkening the strands considerably. Half an hour later, it had returned to its normal colour with the aid of a thick absorbent towel and a few moments spent airing out the locks with his long fingers whilst standing in nothing but another towel wrapped around his waistline.

Absently, he wondered how long it took a certain defense attorney to wash all the gel out of his hair.

Was it even gel? According to small-talk he had overheard once or twice, that black mass of spikes was apparently _natural!_

_How can someone even have hair like that without the assistance of styling products? Absurd._

But the spikes... Miles wanted to touch them... To see for himself whether or not they were concreted in place with hardened hair gel or if they were soft to the touch...

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, the prosecutor quickly changed into his pyjamas and settled down under the quilt, feeling his aching muscles more prominently than ever. He was always like this when it came to sleeping. The work of the day usually went unfelt (save for the occasional migraine or neck pain), but by the time he had to go to bed, his body would send messages to his brain that it was hurting from the stress.

But Miles had learnt to not pay attention to that. He managed to preoccupy his mind with other thoughts.

Such as... Well. Such as the person who had been invading his head a little too often than should be allowed.

_Why am I feeling like this towards you, Phoenix Wright... Why?_

Why was he so attracted to that man? To those beautiful eyes that reminded him of the tide, to that smile – that grin... That way he would blush and scratch his neck in embarrassing situations... And even that blue suit he wore... As well as that ridiculous hair he had been mulling over after getting out of the shower. The way he always looked so proud whenever he showed his little defense attorney's badge to anybody who would stop to pay attention to it. That badge was like a beacon of hope for him; a long-sought trophy that was fun-sized.

_Why are you so endearing. _

_Why am I so... in love with you...?_

Then again... how did he even know that what he was feeling was "love"? He had never before been in love... As far as he was concerned, he had never shown any interest in anybody, regardless of their gender.

He was the boy who was taken away from the familiarity of his lost life in America to live in Europe, to be dictated by the ruthless man who had murdered his father. He was the boy who only spoke when spoken to in elementary school... Who studied and did nothing else in high school. The law university student who paid little attention to others and instead was to be found behind a pile of books in the most quiet corner of the room...

… The grown man in his twenties who isolated himself and protected himself from the world.

The austere Miles Edgeworth.

So why was everything changing now?

And why, out of all people, did he have to fall for Phoenix Wright. That person already told him, face to face, that he was in love with someone else. Knowing him, after having dated Maya and perhaps other females in the past... It was yet another woman who was now the object of his affections...

_What chance could I possibly have...? How do I compete with that?_

Human emotions were so troublesome.

---

Eight days had passed since Phoenix had nervously woken up to tell Maya something serious after Ema had left following breakfast that one morning after the sleepover. It was a tense and awkward moment between the pair... In fact, it had ended with Phoenix discovering that Maya had actually planned on telling him that she was also going to announce they should break up.

"_Well, this is interesting," _was all that came out of the attorney's mouth at the time. But frankly, he couldn't tell whether he was completely shocked or not. To be honest, he was half-expecting it. He wasn't hurt. Neither was Maya. Both of them agreed to stay good friends, since that's what they were all along, after all.

Both of them were blinded by confusion when they first agreed to start dating. Now the awkwardness was over and they were back to how they always were – not that they had changed much anyway.

Pearl didn't take the news lightly, however. She spent a good deal of the day sulking about it, until Phoenix and Maya both took a lot of time convincing her that everyone's special someone was not always who they thought it would be.

"_Nick is still my special someone, but in a different way."_ This is what the older spirit medium had said to help calm her younger cousin.

"_Like family, then?"_

"_Yes, Pearly. Like family. We're a family and we have to be there for each other. All of us."_

Phoenix had stood there watching the two cousins interact - wondering whether or not he should supply his own input to help the younger girl understand completely. After much self-debate he rested on the decision that it was probably best if Maya took care of the situation instead. The assuring nods and grins Phoenix flashed in the little Fey's direction served to thin out the shroud of despair that had temporarily settled around the child.

… The eventual result was a dramatic change of mood in which Pearl pretended nothing heart-breaking had happened for her at all. It was all smiles and burgers for the rest of the week.

Until today.

...

... April Fool's day.

Phoenix looked at the calendar on his office wall and groaned. April the first, Tuesday.

_I hate my birthday._

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NICK!" Maya strolled into the office carrying a large bouquet of flowers, bunched together and wrapped in blue cellophane. Bright petals of various colours stuck up boldly over the spirit medium's arms.

"Wh-what...?" Phoenix did a double-take at the sight. "Are those... uh... What flowers are they, anyway?"

_Why can't I even tell a geranium from a daisy. Why._

"Oh Nick, you seriously have no idea about anything! These are carnations and orchids. Lovely, don't you think?"

"Sure... I guess."

_If I was a woman about to get married._

"Stop pulling that face! These are from Maggey. She has a second job at the new florist place down-town so she told me to give these to you. Now where's a jar I can fill with water..."

Phoenix watched dully as his assistant hummed to herself, before she found a large jar beneath the sink in the bathroom and filled it with water, lowering the flowers into it after untying the bunch. He would definitely have expressed more gratitude towards the gift, if it weren't for the fact that he was one year older now and it was eating away at his brain.

_Twenty-seven... It's only a matter of time before I end up having wheelchair races at the local nursing home._

"Oh! And this card, here!" Maya walked back up to him in a flash and thrust a blue envelope into his hands, which Phoenix promptly opened. The card inside had an illustration of the Blue Badger on the front, a growingly-popular police mascot developed at the local precinct by Detective Gumshoe.

_Oh man, as if I don't see enough of this mascot in real life..._

Still, Phoenix was grateful for the thought. He read the card with a little grin and propped it up next to the plastic pen holder on his desk. Just after having done so, the office phone rang. Maya snapped it up first since she was closer to it.

"Hello! This is the Wright and Co. Law Offices! Maya Fey speaking!"

There was a short moment where Maya listened to the caller. "Uh-huh! Yep! Here he is!" She excitedly handed the phone to the attorney who took it from her looking a little worried.

"_Hiya pal!" _That introduction stated without a doubt that it was Detective Dick Gumshoe.

_What a coincidence..._ Phoenix thought as he fiddled with a corner of the file on his desk. "Hello, detective."

"_Maggey told me it was your birthday, pal! Oh, and it's April Fool's too! I'm just wonderin' if maybe she was joking around to fool me, heh."_

Phoenix made a face into the receiver, for all the good it would have achieved. It wasn't as if Gumshoe could see it anyway. "Uh... It _is_ my birthday."

"_I knew Maggey wouldn't lie to me, pal! Happy birthday!"_

The attorney made another face. _If he knew she wouldn't lie to him then why did he just say that he was wondering whether or not she was joking around to f … Oh forget it._

"Th-thanks, detective... Heh." Phoenix answered after a second or so, feeling ridiculous now. "Um... Yeah."

"_Well, I gotta go, there's a lot of work left to do! I'll see you soon!"_

"Alright. Wait, you'll see me soon? What for?"

But Gumshoe had already hung up.

_Do I even wanna know why he's planning on visiting me soon? _

"So... Nick... I'm just going to... Uh... Do stuff." Maya muttered, more to herself than to him, "I'll see you again near the end of the day, okay?"

By now the lawyer was feeling more confused. "M-Maya, what? What about this pile of work that needs to be finished? Where are you going?"

"Can't talk now, Nick! Seeya! Come on, Pearly!" The little spirit medium, who had previously been occupied with quietly colouring in pictures on the floor again, stood up and ran after her cousin.

"Whuh!?"

And so it was that Phoenix found himself alone in his office. On his birthday. Not that it mattered or anything, no.

_This sucks._

_---_

The rest of the day went by terribly slow. The office received several more phone calls, a couple of them were from unexpected people such as Lana Skye and even the Judge, wishing Phoenix a happy birthday. Word had obviously gotten around. The remaining ones were all prank-calls for April Fool's.

_Whatever happened to WORK-RELATED phone calls these days?!_

As "promised", Maya returned with Pearl later that afternoon – close to the time Phoenix was preparing to leave.

"Hey, let's all go down to Gourd Lake Park! I feel like going to see … Erm... Gourdy. Yeah." Maya proposed awkwardly, lighting up the room with a strangely entertained grin. "Come on!" She tugged at her friend's sleeve hurriedly as Pearl made do with tugging the bottom of the man's blazer.

"Come on, Mr Nick!"

Phoenix sighed. "Now I _know _that's something's up, you two." He moved away from the pair and straightened his jacket as if afraid it would fall to pieces. _What I wouldn't give to have that magatama on me now... But I keep forgetting to bring it with me when I leave in the mornings!_

"What are you talking about?! Just come with us anyway. Stop being so difficult, seriously!" Maya huffed, puffing out her cheeks. "No more work for you! Besides, I've heard that they are holding a fortune-telling event at the park tonight! I wanna see, Nick! Take meeeeee!"

"Why on earth do you want to go to a fortune-telling event?!" Phoenix spat out, wondering just how outrageous Maya could get at times. The girl gave him a look that stated plainly that if he didn't agree to her decisions he would be tied to the cactus in Jake Marshall's office, covered in ants.

"O-okay, okay. I'll go."

"Yay!"

_Strike me down, God._

…

After a while, the three of them ended up at Gourd Lake Park, a wide public space of land situated close to a body of water that was famous for being, well, Gourd-shaped. Hence the name. The park was a popular spot for recreational activities at certain times of the year, and if that wasn't enough attraction, there was the legend of the lake monster that apparently resided beneath the ripples. Affectionately named "Gourdy", Phoenix guessed it was the equivalent to Scotland's Loch Ness monster.

This particular lake was also the spot where a serious incident had occurred around three years ago. Robert Hammond, a defense attorney, was shot and killed, and Phoenix had to represent the man who was deemed the murderer.

That "murderer" was Miles Edgeworth.

In the end, Phoenix had proven Miles innocent... He had saved him from a terrible fate. The spiky-haired lawyer looked over the water that was currently reflecting the buttery glow of the late afternoon sunset.

_Miles..._

"Wow, look over there Nick! First star! Make a wish!" Maya was pointing at the sky towards a tiny flickering dot.

"Maya, that's... That's a plane."

"It is? Oh...! You're right..."

"Sheesh. Well, where's this magical fortune-teller of yours, anyway?"

Maya suddenly gasped as if Phoenix had told her that he was planning to get a sex-change. "You'll see! Follow me, Nick!" She and Pearl quickly tugged Phoenix to a spot some distance away from the main area. The new stretch of land they were now standing on was in the midst of what looked like a small clearing decorated for some sort of event. Streamers hung from the trees and little coloured lanterns were hung on the lowest branches. A picnic rug was set out in the middle, but strangely enough, nothing was on it. There were also no other people to be seen.

"There's no one here..." Phoenix mumbled to himself, feeling as if Maya was making fun of him now, "If this is your idea of an April Fool's joke, it's kind of poor... No offense."

_Who ever heard of a fortune-teller setting up business in such a place anyway? And on this day? Any sensible person would immediately see the flaw in getting a reading at a time like this. It's hard enough for a fortune-teller to be taken seriously, let alone on the first of April._

The dark cloak of night was slowly thrown over them as the sun finally dipped completely below the horizon. Maya and Pearl didn't say a thing in response to Phoenix's display of disappointment. Then suddenly...

"SURPRISE!!!"

The defense attorney flinched in shock at the unexpected chorus of voices that had erupted out of nowhere. Maya and her cousin both had grins plastered on their faces as Phoenix made small noises of bewilderment.

"Wh... what's going on?" He spluttered clumsily, watching now as a few familiar faces emerged from behind the thicker groups of trees. Detective Gumshoe, Larry, Maggey, Ema and even two people Phoenix hadn't exactly expected: Godot and Franziska von Karma.

As if scared he would be whipped to death right on the spot, Phoenix instinctively backed off as the nineteen year old prosecutor walked towards him.

"Hmph," she snorted, and the defense attorney could tell that she probably didn't join in with the rest of them during their shout-out, "I am amused that your date of birth is the first of the fourth." A small smirk crossed her pale face and she pointed at him. "On April Fool's day! Now I am definitely convinced you are a fool."

"Uh... okay." Phoenix merely stared awkwardly as the prodigy in front of him kept her stance firm.

_Because I totally couldn't tell that you thought I was fool to begin with, huh._

"Anyway." Franziska snapped, grabbing his full attention again, "Despite the fact that your birthday has provided an unwanted diversion from more fulfilling things, such as perfecting my work preparations and -"

"Nobody asked you to come..." Phoenix mumbled, raising an eyebrow. His shoulder immediately made enemies with the end of a leather whip as soon as the words left his mouth. "OUCH!" Maggey, Ema, Gumshoe, Maya and Pearl gasped sympathetically. Godot and Larry merely chuckled at the spectacle.

"Silence when I am speaking!" Franziska shouted, "I am not done yet!"

… _It's my birthday and I'm STILL being tormented. _The spiky-haired lawyer cowered obediently.

"If you had the decency to shut that mouth of yours, then you would have found out earlier that I have gone out of my way to get you a gift."

"I don't open my mouth as often as you strike out with that whi – hang on, really?"

A pair of bluish eyes glared at him. "Yes, Phoenix Wright. Is there a problem?" A crack of that dreaded whip stirred the grass next to her low-cut black boots.

_I bet it's a remote controlled tracking device that electrocutes me if I don't comply with her commands, _were the first impressions about the gift that Phoenix could visualise.

"You! Scruffy!" The young prosecutor demanded, pointing at Gumshoe, "Where is that bag I handed you before?"

"H-here, sir!" Gumshoe stuttered, obviously not wanting to be the bearer of new whip marks across his face since the last ones were still fairly fresh. He handed Franziska a silver gift bag shakily. The nineteen year old struck his arm after receiving the item of request, muttering something about "one whip for good measure."

"Y-y-yes sir..." Gumshoe rubbed his arm painfully as Maggey came to his aide.

Phoenix accepted the gift as Franziska shoved it into his hands, folding her arms afterwards and tapping her foot impatiently.

"Well, open it!"

Nodding quickly, the attorney reached into the opening and pulled out a small container of tiger balm.

_I'm not even going to say anything._

"Oh! I use that on my cuts and burns, pal! It really helps!" Gumshoe grinned in a silly manner.

"Yes, it is good for burns. You will most likely need that just in case I get angry, Phoenix Wright."

A nervous chuckle escaped Phoenix's mouth.

_Last time I checked, anger was the only emotion you had installed into your personality anyway..._

The lawyer tried to look appreciative, but it was proven difficult. _Just what does she mean I'll need it 'just in case?' She's planning on whipping my face till it burns right off, isn't she. _He pocketed the gift. _ Oh well, it's the thought that counts._

"As you know, my little brother is not in America at the moment, so I suppose my presence will have to represent us both tonight." An impatient huff of breath, "Otherwise I would probably not be here."

"Th-thanks, Franziska..." Phoenix mumbled. _At least she's partially human._

"I'm sure he is thinking of you, though." Gloved hands coiled up the whip they carried, skillfully re-attaching it to the clasp at Franziska's hip. Everyone breathed a small sigh of relief. "Like the fool he is. You're all he keeps talking about, for some reason."

"Huh?" Phoenix's eyebrows seemed to disappear into his hairline. He was suddenly aware that Maya and Ema seemed to be listening closely to the point where they were both leaning forward, bug-eyed.

"I can tell you are doubtful towards my statement! But keep in mind that what I say is the truth so there is no need to wear that expression. It seems that every time I visit his office, he brings you up in conversation without even realising it himself. And when I called him last night after work, he asked me how you were doing."

"That's natural though, isn't it? Nick's a friend!" Larry blurted out obliviously.

"Don't interrupt!" Franziska reached for her whip again but faltered as Larry shook his head and backed off, the helium balloon attached to his wrist bobbing along with his movements. Phoenix, meanwhile, was smiling and looking contemplative.

"Mi – I mean, Edgeworth... He mentions me a lot?"

"Did you even hear a word of what I just said?! I think your date of birth being on April Fool's day makes you twice as much of a foolish fool than normal fools!"

"Franziska, give Trite a break," Godot laughed lowly, taking a sip of coffee from a cup that he just happened to be carrying around. "As much fun as it is to mock him, I think there's a limit to his tolerance, you know."

"Well, of course there is..." Phoenix said, looking hurt.

"Bah!" Franziska turned on her heel and went to collect something from behind a bush – the woven cane handle proved it was a picnic basket before it was even completely revealed, "Just shut up and let's get this celebration over with!"

She dumped the basket on the picnic rug, ignoring Maggey's whimpers of: "Careful, the cake will fall apart!" and opened it.

Everyone else followed suit, removing their shoes and taking a spot on the large rug. The night and the fact that they were near a lake provided a good reminder that it wasn't long before Phoenix would be covered in mosquito bites over his face and hands. Luckily, the lanterns seemed to be filled with some sort of repellent that acted like those mosquito coils that were used during camps.

"Mr Wright, try some of this!" Ema handed Phoenix a plateful of what appeared to be home-made tempura, "Lana made some and she thought you might like it."

"That was very thoughtful of her," Phoenix smiled, taking a bite out of one of the battered pieces of sweet potato. "It's really good!"

"Oooh, lemme try one!" Maya snatched a piece off the plate and swallowed it.

"Did you even CHEW that?" Startled blue eyes stared in disbelief as his young assistant devoured the food item.

"'Course I did!" Maya snorted. "Come on Pearly, try some too!"

After everyone had indulged in the party food, they talked amongst one another and laughed together. Phoenix was given more birthday gifts, including a vase from Maggey to go with the flowers from earlier; a "chick-magnet" from Larry that turned out being an actual fridge magnet that had Larry's face superimposed on it; a jar of "Special Blend #65" from Godot (Phoenix reminded himself he would most-likely not drink it in fear of suffering destroyed taste buds); a scrapbook of drawn pictures and snapshots from Pearl; a "Do-it-Yourself" science kit from Ema that contained a set of safety glasses and test tubes full of substances that would probably never end up being used in fear of blowing up the office; a framed photo of the office bathroom and a refill of _Cilit Bang_ from Maya ("We all know how much you love to scrub that toilet, Nick!") and finally, a packet of instant noodles from Gumshoe.

"I bought that with my last pay check, pal!" The detective puffed up his chest proudly.

"Heh... Thanks."

_It's a shame I'm not a big fan of corn flavour, though._

Once all the fuss over present-giving had died down, Larry got out a CD and fed it into the portable CD-player that Ema had brought with her. For some reason unknown, Larry had thought that celebrating his now twenty-seven year old male friend's birthday party would go well with an album from _The Spice Girls_.

"Larry?! What the hell?" Phoenix spat out as "_Tell Me Why"_ started to play, "Why are you putting on this music?!"

"Hey, no need to shout, Nick!" Larry laughed, "Don't be grumpy, it's your birthday!"

"I know that!" Phoenix squawked back. "Put something decent on, will you?"

"Aww, but this is such a classic song!"

"No, Larry. "_Dancing Queen"_ is a classic. The Spice Girls are like... Oh god." Maya mumbled.

"Ooooh, Dancing Queen! Wait, I brought Abba as well! Lemme get it..." Larry immediately turned to rummage in a bag behind him.

"Gyahh, just stop the music! Please!" Phoenix whined.

"What's that? You want me to play the song, "_Stop"?_" Larry snickered, turning back to the CD-player and skipping a few tracks so that a new song played.

"_Stop right now, thank you very much... I need somebody with a human to~uch... Hey you, always on the run..." _Larry had begun to sing along like he was on American Idol.

Phoenix buried his head in his hands. _Damn straight I wanna RUN._

"What's wrong, Trite?" Godot enquired, gulping down more coffee, "You look like you need some caffeine to boost your system."

"How can you stand this..." Spiky hair was crushed against Phoenix's own curled fists as he tried to distract himself from the horrendous list of songs Larry was playing – the man's awful singing that accompanied it only amplified the agonising racket.

"Hah... Once you've learnt to deal with death, you've dealt with it all." Godot said thoughtfully, looking as if he was reminiscing about the past. "Just pretend you can't hear him. A voice is only as loud as one wants to hear it." A smirk and a small exhalation of amusement, followed by another offer of coffee.

"No, I'm fine really." Phoenix assured the older man as a spare cup was pushed in his direction. Godot looked up at the night sky and his visor glowed. He shifted so that his legs weren't uncomfortable and hummed a jazzy tune to himself.

"Trite, you only live once. Enjoy life."

"C-could you stop calling me Trite?"

"I would... I should... I could..."

"...?"

"... But I won't. Trite is a label you should wear proudly – an insignia that distinguishes you from the masses. Hah!"

…

_Oh, silly me. I was under the impression Trite meant 'dull and hackneyed', not 'honourable and worthy of attention'._

Phoenix sniffed at the answer. _I was starting to get my hopes up a bit there. _He mentally counted off the nicknames he had: _Nick... Feenie... Pal... Trite...Whippersnapper... Fool._

_At least one of them sounds reasonably decent._

Larry, unfortunately, was still singing. Gumshoe had started to join in, influenced by the effects of alcohol that Larry had provided.

"_...'Cause I don't care about the money, don't be wastin' mah time..." _The pair sang in a loud drawl, causing everyone else to shake their heads in dismay.

"You two fools are BOTH wasting my time!" Franziska was standing and had her whip out again. She held it above her head at the ready, "...And Detective, you SHOULD be caring about your money! You'll have none left if you keep up this disgusting vocal garbage!"

There was a whip crack and both singers stopped immediately. Another whip crack skilfully switched off the CD player.

"Hey! That's mine, don't break it!" Ema protested.

Franziska made a noise like an angry cat and sat down again. Phoenix reminded himself to never put another toe out of line around the young woman. Not like any precautions would work anyway.

There was another group of people in the far distance – it looked like a family of five. They seemed to be lighting up sparkles and waving them around near the water. Hopefully they hadn't heard the loud, drunken and tone-deaf singing from earlier.

Sitting absent mindedly, surrounded by a collection of sweet wrappers from the pile of candy that Maya, Pearl and Ema had eaten their way through, Phoenix breathed in the night air. Pearl shuffled closer to him and caught his attention by tugging his blazer sleeve.

"Mr Nick?" The nine year old looked curious about something.

"Hm? What is it, Pearls?"

"About Mr E-ji-werth..." Phoenix found himself chuckling at Pearl's pronunciation, "... Is he going to come back soon?"

"Yeah," The lawyer traced a square on the picnic mat, "In less than a week from now."

"Do you miss him?"

Phoenix turned away and wondered just how inquisitive this young child could get, "... I guess you could say I miss him."

_I miss him a lot, actually._

"How much?"

"Too much..." by now, Phoenix didn't even seem to be aware he was surrounded by other people. A pensive expression had materialised on his face as he gazed over the lake's waters. Quickly, he turned back to the child at his side. "Uh... W-wait I didn't say that, heh. Why do you wanna know_, _Pearls?"

"Mystic Maya said I should ask." The little girl peered up at him and looked closely at his face, "Mr Nick, I'm probably wrong since it's a bit too dark to tell, but why is your face red?"

"Red?" The man automatically lifted a hand to touch his cheek. "Ah... I'm not so sure, actually..."

_Oh god... I even go red THINKING of him..._

… _Furthermore, why does Maya want to know about that?_

When he looked down towards Pearl again, she had already shuffled over back to her cousin's side a short distance away. Maya looked content as Ema snuggled up against her, keeping them warm.

_Ema and Maya... Are they really attached that way? _Phoenix didn't know whether Maya or Ema had said anything to the other about their feelings yet... If they even _had_ feelings for each other to begin with. Maybe they were just close friends.

Friends.

Like him and Miles.

Perhaps him and Miles would just be that for the rest of their lives. Nothing more.

The party continued. That was if it could even be classified as a party. Two of the guests were more tipsy than before and another one was sitting there scowling as she supervised the group with a dangerous leather weapon at hand. The younger members of the congregation were chatting away together and the actual _birthday boy_ (or man, in this case), was left sitting there quietly with only his thoughts to keep him company. Not that he minded, of course.

Maya finally went up to him and suggested they go for a walk along the shore. Nodding silently, Phoenix got up and followed her. The other seven people were left behind.

Once they had ventured a fair distance from the others, Maya asked Phoenix something seriously, which was a first. "Nick," she began quietly, "how do you feel about him?"

"Who?" Phoenix asked, pretending not to know.

"Don't play dumb," Maya said, punching him in the arm playfully. "You know who I'm talking about!"

"No idea."

Maya made a noise of annoyance mingled with disbelief. "Here, let me give you some clues. Light grey hair, grey eyes... Ring any bells?" She asked sarcastically while kicking pebbles aside.

"Nope."

"Jeez!" Maya was throwing her arms in the air and Phoenix was tempted to laugh at her frustration. "Okay then, how about these... He has bangs that fall on both sides and wears a frilly neck-piece. His favourite colour is pink or something. Magenta? Wine red? Whatever."

"It's weird, but I can't _quite_ figure out who you're talking about..."

Maya hit him harder on the forearm. "Now it's obvious you're just being deliberately forgetful."

_Well done, Captain Obvious_. Phoenix's overwhelming need to laugh was unbearable now.

"Fine. Edgeworth." The attorney gave a defeated sigh. "What about him?"

"Like I said, _how do you feel about him_?"

"Why the heck are you asking me something like that? I'm not g -"

"No, you're not _gay_. I'm guessing you're _bisexual_." Maya butted in before he could finish his statement, leaving him at a temporary loss for argument. "There's something between you two! Whenever he's brought up in conversation you go all weird! Even Ema said she can sense chemistry between both of you guys."

"Oh... About you and Ema, by the way..."

"No don't change the subject!" Maya kicked his shoe, "Tell me how much you like him!"

"Just as a friend, Maya."

"Hmmm. You know what, you're SO lying."

"I'm not!" Phoenix moved away from his ex-girlfriend just in case she punched or kicked him again. "Why do you keep pressing the matter?"

They walked on, and it was becoming increasingly difficult for Phoenix to block out Maya's continuous muttering. Eventually, they stopped at a jetty – it just so happened to be next to the boat house that had been part of the crime that had taken place here 3 years ago. As they stood there together, they were both reminded of so many things, and the new silence that had fallen between them only seemed to make those memories all the more clearer.

Maya shuffled her sandals in the dirt. "Hey..." she said softly as she stared towards some of the empty boats floating nearby, "... Remember when Mr Edgeworth was nearly sentenced to death for that murder?"

Not choosing to answer her straight away, Phoenix stuck his hands in his pockets and breathed silently.

"Yeah..." he replied after a while. There was hurt in his voice.

_That kind of thing isn't hard to forget..._

With nobody else around this part of the park, it was much easier to pick up on the depressed undertones of Phoenix's statement. Maya turned her head to look at him and smiled sadly.

"I wonder if he's alright. It must be so hard for him."

"I know..." The attorney looked down and gazed at the water lapping the shoreline as he took his hands out from his pockets casually. "I want him to be happy... He deserves that much. I really... I really care about him, even if it doesn't seem that way sometimes."

Maya reached out to take her friend's hand. "I know you do, Nick." Suddenly, her face lit up. "And don't worry, it's obvious you care for him." She was practically grinning now, and swinging their hands backwards and forwards childishly.

"Is it really that obvious." Phoenix muttered sardonically.

"Yep."

_No need to sound so straightforward._

"So, like I was saying earlier..." Maya let go of his hand and went to squat on the sand so she could draw patterns into the grains with a stick.

"You really don't know when to stop, do you." Phoenix chuckled. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"Look!" Maya stood up. "I'm not shy to tell you that Ema... Um... Well, she and I..."

"Like each other?"

"Yeah! W-wait, how did you know that?"

Phoenix shrugged at her question. "I can tell," he simply stated with a mischievous smirk. _So it IS true, then! Looks like Maya is also bisexual._

"But you can't tell what your OWN feelings are, can you?"

"..."

"...Nick... You love him, don't you."

Phoenix didn't know what to say to her. He turned to face the cluster of trees to the left, then tilted his head so that he was gazing upward. The constellations mocked him for his ignorance – the many formations of white dots splattered onto an inky canvas that was the night sky. At least _they_ didn't have to put up with confused feelings.

"I..." The defense attorney sighed again and felt stupid. "I like him."

_I finally said it... _

… _No... It's more than just "liking" him..._

Maya just looked at him warmly before putting a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"God, I like him so much, it's driving me crazy... I can't stop thinking of him... I know we can't be together because there's so many things that would conflict with our relationship if we _were_... A-and who even knows if he likes me back... What if I get my hopes up and it all ends up being a waste of t - "

"Stop it!" Maya almost shouted, shaking him a little to bring him back to his senses. She lowered her voice and gave him a hug. "Nick, don't worry about things like that... I'm sure it will work out between you. You just gotta stay positive!"

Phoenix hugged her back briefly and felt glad to have such a good friend like Maya. Even if she was a little bit on the weird side. She always cheered him up in the long run.

"I'm pretty sure Mr Edgeworth DOES like you, you know."

"Hmm?"

"You heard what Franziska said earlier, didn't you? She said he keeps talking about you and everything."

"That's just talking though."

"You'd be surprised."

Phoenix stared at nothing. _If he really did feel the same way about me then I'd be so happy. _He smiled briefly and sniffled as the chilly air got to him. He really hadn't expected to suddenly confess everything in one go like that, especially since he had doubts about his own emotions towards the other man. Now that he had told Maya, however, he felt a like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. There was one tiny problem though.

"Maya? I know how much you like chatting... Promise me you won't tell anyone, okay? Especially not Edgeworth."

"Lips are sealed." The spirit medium made a motion with one of her hands to give the impression she was pulling an invisible zip closed over her lips. "But how are you going to tell him?"

"I'll... I'll manage. Don't worry." _Who knows if I ever WILL tell him._

"Good. Because if you chicken out I swear I'm gonna break this promise and tell him myself!"

"You do that and I swear I'm gonna break the television at the office so you can't watch your cartoons or whatever it is that you watch..."

"Pffft."

"Why don't you take me seriously? Nobody does!"

"Stop being so miserable, Nick. It's your birthday."

Phoenix shrugged for the second time and blurted out with a tiny smile: "It's not as if there's a thrill with turning twenty-seven, trust me."


	9. Chapter Nine

_**Author's Notes:**_

Hey guys... This chapter is a little shorter than the previous ones... sorry! I have more written up, but since I'm an ass I thought it would be more suspenseful to end it where I did LOL. *is bricked to death* But the following chapter is longer so wahey! :D

Also, drunk!Larry is like the most fun character to write ever.

Thanks again for all the lovely reviews! ^_^

**Disclaimer: The characters and settings created by CAPCOM that are featured in this story are solely owned by their creators. I do not claim them as mine in any way, shape or form. I am not recieving monetary profit from having written this story and no copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

**"Jumping to Conclusions"**

_***~Chapter Nine~***_

***

The celebration had ended before it had gotten _too_ late; everyone who upheld an important job found it of high necessity to leave because the next day was sure to bring an early start with their work. Detective Gumshoe was thankfully less tipsy than Larry, who was busy slurring romantic confessions to a light post by the time the others had packed up.

"Cut that out, Larry!" Phoenix had muttered to him in shame, dragging his friend by the collar and half-flinging him into the taxi that Franziska had called. A surprisingly caring gesture made by the otherwise callous young prosecutor.

"Nick... shay that I love her, 'kay..." The brown-haired man said slowly, his voice dragged by the near-abundance of alcohol that was flooding his veins.

"Um... Who...?" Phoenix questioned with a strange look. _That pole?!_

"Franzishka... Y'know... the girl with the _hair_..."

"..."

_Why, god. Why._

"The PURPLE hair, Nick."

"Um... I-it's actually more of a _turquoise _hue..."

"SHHHHH! She might hear ush!"

"She's busy whipping Gumshoe, I'm pretty sure we're safe for now." Phoenix put his hand to his forehead and motioned for the taxi driver to pull out of the parking space. "Get him home safely, please. He tends to be overly talkative when he's drunk so pay him no mind. Don't let him distract your driving."

Just to make sure, the defense attorney took out a pen and scribbled on the back of an old receipt from his back pocket. "Here's his address." He handed it to the driver, who nodded and gave a reassuring confirmation that he wouldn't drop Larry off on the side of the road for the vultures to encircle come tomorrow morning.

"I'll shee you later, Nick!" Larry chided stupidly, shutting the taxi door as the driver took off. Phoenix merely waved after the vehicle with an exasperated sigh.

_No matter **what** we celebrate, he always seems to end up in that state._

Phoenix looked around and saw that Franziska had finished assaulting Gumshoe with her dreaded whip near the park gates and was now conversing with Maggey whilst wearing an impatient expression. Maya and Ema had somehow managed to find sparkle wands and were entertaining Pearl a small distance away. As for Godot, he had either evaporated or had managed to leave by means of another method without anybody else noticing. He was nowhere to be seen.

_Mysterious as ever. _Phoenix laughed in his head.

Standing there near the edge of the road quietly, the attorney let the cool night breeze wash over him, breathing in the scent of the fresh pine and charred kebabs from the local bistro across the way. The mixture of smells mingled in the air and distracted him for a short moment, before he was brought back to earth by an all-too-familiar grab of his sleeve.

"Ready to go?" Maya asked him, now at his side. Pearl looked sleepy standing next to her now.

"Yeah... Should we walk? Or do you want to catch a cab?"

"Walking is refreshing." Maya said pleasantly, sounding unlike her usual whiny self when it came to matters such as walking further than one hundred metres.

"Okay. But what about Pearls? She looks tired."

The little spirit medium suddenly became alert, rolling up her sleeves. "Mr Nick!" She squeaked, "You're talking to the girl who ran all the way from Kurain to the courthouse, remember?"

_Oh, yeah. I forgot._

"Everyone's gone now." Ema interupted, coming up to them. Sure enough, in that short time span, Gumshoe, Franziska and Maggey had left. "They said "bye" to you, Mr Wright... but I don't think you heard. Anyway... it's just us, now! Let's get a move on before we get mugged or something."

"Let's go." Maya dragged Phoenix behind her as she walked, taking exaggerated steps to give the impression that Nick was more of a heavyweight cargo being pulled behind her as opposed to another human being. Pearl trotted close behind, holding Phoenix's presents in her tiny arms.

"L-let me carry those, they look heavy..."

"No! I can do it, Mr Nick! It's your birthday! You get to be lazy."

"... O-okay... sure."

---

Lana Skye waited patiently for her younger sibling who had called her a few minutes earlier, saying that she was "walking back from the lake with her friends" and would "see her soon". In the meantime, Lana had gone to sit in her car since she had finally finished work for the night, and was now taking the time to write Phoenix a celebratory birthday card - almost signing it off professionally before she remembered that it wasn't a work-related business file.

_This will have to do for now. _She sealed up the envelope, just as a group of talkative people started to approach her from a short distance away . A few seconds of wary silence invaded her before she realised it was just Ema, Phoenix Wright, and his two younger assistants.

Once they had met up with her in the parking lot, Lana handed the card to the other lawyer as Ema got into the car; a luxurious-looking, rich-brown sedan.

"I apologise once again for not being able to attend the party," Lana said earnestly, as she got into the driver's seat and buckled her seatbelt.

"Heh, it's no problem! Ema said you were busy. I understand." Phoenix assured her, grinning as he half-leant on the open door of the car. Ema smiled from the passenger's seat on the other side.

"It was fun, Mr Wright! We should hold another party like that for you next year." The younger sister said, excited.

"Ahaha... Ah..." The awkward laugh that followed spelt out that a different method of celebration was preferred for the defense attorney's twenty-eighth.

"By the way," Lana intervened seriously, "how do you three plan on getting home?"

"Walking!" Maya answered brightly.

"It's late out. Would you all like a lift? I don't mind... and there's plenty of room, if that's what you're worried about."

"No, no! It's fine." Phoenix shook his head and held up one hand. "Maya here needs to work off those burgers, anyway." He received a swift whack to the side after stating this.

Lana smiled. "Are you sure? Well, if that's the case, then I suppose I will see you later, Mr Wright." She smiled at Maya and Pearl in kind. "Bye, now."

Both sisters waved as the car pulled out and drove off, leaving the younger attorney and the two spirit mediums alone with the bundle of gifts from the birthday party.

"No point in loitering around then. Come on, we have a warm apartment to go to."

"Awww, now I wish we HAD gotten a lift, Nick."

"Maya, I swear to god..."

"Pshh. Fine."

The trio set off for home, throwing playful punches at one another along the way.

---

Maya and Pearl had fallen asleep in the living room after their shower later that night. Phoenix was curled up on his thick duvet, tired from the celebration, yet unable to sleep... despite it being almost 2:00am. He reached over to his night stand and snatched up the small jar of tiger balm from Franziska, laughing to himself.

_Why did she even bother to give me such a thing. Oh wait, the whip burns. Right._

As he turned the jar over in his hands, amusing himself with the small, foreign writing on the label, he remembered what the young woman had told him earlier.

"_I'm sure he is thinking of you, though..."_

_Me?_

"_...Like the fool he is. You're all he keeps talking about, for some reason."_

As if something was correlating his thoughts to his cell phone, Phoenix was startled by a sudden ringing.

_Wh... where is that phone...?!_

He dropped the balm, rummaging around absently for the source of the ringing. Finally managing to yank it out of his shirt pocket off the floor, Phoenix pressed the "talk" button and held the communicative device to his ear without bothering to check the caller identification.

"Hello?" He said in blunt surprise as if it was his first time using a phone, not noticing that he had abandoned all formal introduction. Whoever was calling him at this hour probably wouldn't pay it second thought anyway.

"... _Wri _- _Phoenix...?"_

He knew that voice. Even if it was slightly hard to hear.

"Wait... Miles?!"

"_Yes. I'm sorry, did I wake you? I know now isn't the best of times to call, but..."_

Phoenix was far too awake now, even more than before, to even _think _of falling asleep.  
He sat bolt upright and pressed the phone to his ear as much as it was physically possible without blocking off sound completely from the pressure.

"N-no! I was awake! Wow... I... What time is it over there?"

"_It is almost nine in the morning. I am guessing it is around two am where you are, correct?"_ The prosecutor's voice made it sound as if he were feeling bad for calling at such an hour.

"Yeah!" Phoenix was beaming, thrilled that he was speaking to the other man. He felt the need to look presentable and straightened his pyjama shirt and flattened his spikes, before remembering that they were not actually conversing face-to-face. By this point he felt more than a little stupid.

"_Phoenix... I am deeply sorry for not calling you on the actual DAY. But... I just wanted to wish you a belated "Happy Birthday." I hope it went well, despite the fact it was also... um... April Fool's." _The name of the occasion was uttered with a bitter tone, as if Miles wanted nothing more than to pretend that April Fool's didn't fall on the same time as his friend's birthday.

"It did! Thanks..."

The chuckle on the other end of the line was low and amused. "_I am currently free at the moment. But I have to go in for an appointment at the head offices at ten am. Now is the only time that I could call you, since I was caught up last night with work."_

Phoenix smiled warmly, even though his friend could not see it. "Miles... it's perfectly alright. I understand completely. I'm just thrilled to hear from you now."

"_... I'm glad."_

"How are things in London?" By now, Phoenix's heart was beating at a speed faster than should be at resting position. Ignoring it, he fiddled with the washing-instructions tag on his pillow case as he waited for the response.

"_It's very cold. And it's not even winter anymore, which makes me wonder. Usually I am used to this weather but for some reason it's more chilly than I expected."_

Listening to his words, the defense attorney settled back down, leaning against his pillow as he took in that wonderful voice, delighting in each spoken syllable like it was the last he would ever hear. He felt stupid for wanting to hear Miles so much, but he didn't know how to stop that desire. They talked for quite a while, and Phoenix relayed the information of his birthday celebrations to the prosecutor, laughing at the other's expected reactions. Particularly the reaction towards Larry's drunken behavior.

"_For heaven's sake. Butz even had the nerve to confess an attraction towards Franziska?!"_

"... Ahaha. Yes."

"_I'm quite sure that if he actually said that to her face, he would be on the receiving end on that god-forsaken whip she always has by her side."_

"Oh, he already got whipped more than once at the party."

"_Serves him right."_

They both laughed. Phoenix's laugh was merry, whereas Miles simply let out another low chuckle.

…

…

"I miss you, Miles."

…

_Oh damn, why did that come out NOW._

…

"_... I... "_

"... ?"

"_...Phoenix, I have to leave soon. I'll talk to you later, if opportunity arrives. If not, then I shall see you when I get back to America."_

The attorney blushed in slight humiliation. _I hope I didn't shock him by saying that. Was it too straight-forward? _

"Okay. I'll... yeah. Bye, Miles."

"_Take care, Phoenix."_

Their conversation ended shortly afterwards with the click of a button. Phoenix sighed and placed his phone on the night stand, hugging his pillow and wondering whether or not he had somehow offended his friend.

_He didn't SOUND angry. Maybe he really was running out of time because of that appointment, after all._

_At least he called me._

_---_

It was Sunday, and Maya and Pearl were back in Kurain yet again. Of course, it was to be expected. Maya and Pearl had many responsibilities to uphold in their hometown.

Phoenix kicked off his shoes after having returned from the local supermarket by himself, clutching several full bags of groceries. It was during Maya's absence that Phoenix preferred to stock up on food with what little money he had left, all simply because of the fact that it was hard enough for himself to get a decent bite to eat at home whenever the nineteen year old was staying over.

Since she was such a good friend, however, he hardly got angry at her.

After putting away the items, the defense attorney decided to watch television. He soon realised that nothing worthwhile was being broadcast at this time, so instead he got up again and made his way out, thinking it would probably do him some good to go for a stroll or something.

Outside, he just walked wherever his feet took him. It wasn't long before he ended up in the same park where Maya and he had walked together on that night after playing Monopoly. Today, the park was abundant in children running in all directions as their parents fought to keep up. It was a Sunday, after all.

Sitting on a nearby bench, Phoenix watched fondly as a pair of ducks argued over a bread crust that one of the children had dropped in a hurry. The first duck looked as if it was in the advantage – the second duck was smaller and seemed a little too shy. Eventually, after much quacking, the first one waddled off with the prize, leaving its rival looking distraught and offended. It went off in the other direction, head bent down in a way that made it appear lonely.

Phoenix sighed. He felt lonely too. Stupid that he should be comparing himself to that simple, web-footed bird, but hey. He looked up at the sky in thought again – something he had a tendency to do these days. The cirrostratus clouds drifted lazily in the troposphere and their slow movement made the man feel at peace. That was until a certain person entered his mind. And even though this certain person hadn't called him back since after his birthday party, Phoenix was looking forward to seeing him again.

_Miles is returning tomorrow...!_

It wasn't a miscalculation. Nope. Miles would be catching his flight back to Los Angeles sometime later that night. Either then or tomorrow morning. He'd have to check with Gumshoe if he knew.

The spiky-haired man dug in his coat pocket for his cell phone and dialled the detective's after-hours number, receiving a gruff: _"Gumshoe speaking," _in reply.

"Hello, it's Phoenix Wright," he said to the other man, hearing him preparing something in the background which was unmistakably another bowl of old instant noodles.

"_Oh, hiya pal! How are things? Did you hear that Mr Edgeworth is coming back tomorrow?"_

"Yes, that's what I wanted to talk to you about, actually," Phoenix said, as he listened to the detective whisper a curse word after accidentally stabbing his free hand with a fork, "d-do you know what time he'll be at the airport?"

"_Which one, pal?"_

"Ermm... the Los Angeles International Airport." Phoenix wondered what reason Gumshoe could have to think that he was referring to the one in London instead, but never mind that.

"_Ah! He told me that he would be catching the 6:00am flight. And since it takes around... uh... ten or eleven hours to get from London to here, then he'll back at around... uh... wait, let me think."_

"Somewhere between five and six pm, detective."

"_Yeah, that sounds correct, pal!"_

Phoenix sighed.

_That's because it doesn't take a genius to calculate the time. _"Thanks, Gumshoe. Are you going to meet him there?"

"_Nah, I want to, believe me. But I can't! I have to work extra hours at the precinct because Miss von Karma wants me to make up for the time I lost the other day when I went home early because of an appointment I had."_

"Oh. Well, better not argue with her then, she's scary."

"_I know, I know... heh. So I'm guessing you're gonna see Mr Edgeworth when he gets back then? Tell him I said 'hi'."_

"Yes... And I will. Thanks, detective!"

"_No problem, pal. Bye!"_

Phoenix ended the call and felt relieved that he had received information about Miles' time of return. But he also felt nervous about tomorrow. Probably because he was worried that he would be tempted to hug Miles or something else that would probably cause embarrassment on both of their behalves.

Whatever the reason, he pretended to ignore it and made his way back to the apartment.

---

The next day, at around 3:45pm, Phoenix knocked off work early and locked up the office, carrying his briefcase in tow and throwing his blazer jacket over his shoulders with little care. Since the traffic would probably provide a prolonged obstruction from reaching the Los Angeles International Airport in less than half an hour, the attorney decided to leave early. He also needed the extra time to navigate the airport when he got there - to make sure he wasn't waiting outside the wrong terminal when Miles arrived.

_That would make me look like even more of an idiot than I already am,_ he reminded himself harshly.

Glancing around, he saw that it looked like he wouldn't be getting the chance to hail down a taxi where he was standing. The next bus was due in forty minutes, and he didn't want to waste any more time.

_Looks like I'll have to go to that taxi depot near the service station, then. It should take me less than fifteen minutes if I walk fast._

Walking with quick strides down the path, Phoenix frantically checked his watch every few seconds as if afraid the minute hand would suddenly slide forward more than it was supposed to.

_What I would give to have my driver's license right now. _

If there was any motivation for him to finally muster up the courage to sit behind a steering wheel and learn how to press the acceleration and brake in the right order, this was it. Especially since the thick clouds looming overhead promised rain any time now.

Splish.

Coincidentally, water fell from the sky as if it had been waiting for this very moment to spite the lawyer.

"Damn..." Phoenix wiped the fallen drop off his face and scowled. _I swear even nature likes picking on me. I swear it. Please don't let it get heavier._

No sooner had he thought those words, the rain fell heavier.

_I hate you, rain._

He must have looked like one of those rushed businessmen who usually forgot their umbrellas on a day like this, as he picked up the pace and tried to pull his blazer over his head with little success. Oh well, as long as he thought positive he would be at the depot in no time. The rain suddenly deciding to fall even more strongly at that moment reminded him that he was wrong to let even the prospect of optimism enter his head.

By this point he was very tempted to take refuge beneath an awning, at least until the downpour became less heavy. But if he did that, who knew how long it would take till mother nature decided to switch off the tap? No, he would have to keep going.

_Why am I doing this anyways. It's not like I promised Miles I'd meet him upon arrival. He doesn't even know I'm going to be there!_

It was so tempting to just stop running and go under cover.

_I want to surprise him though. Make him feel like someone's always there for him even though he thinks he's alone._

Surely, Miles would appreciate that. Wouldn't he?

The rain on the pavement splashed beneath the soles of his shoes with every step he took. His old briefcase had a crack in it that was sure to be the death of the paperwork he kept inside it, since he hadn't bothered (more like couldn't _afford)_ to buy a new one. No doubt some of his files would end up soaked if the weather continued to keep this up.

Suddenly, before he could move out of the way, a car tore past him and disturbed a puddle at the edge of the road. Phoenix was drenched by the small wave that washed over him, spluttering loudly and coughing. His trademark spikes were now completely soaked through and dripped limply past his ears. Passing people with umbrellas tried not laugh and Phoenix frowned, feeling disconcerted. He was more wet than before – a sneeze shortly after the ordeal left him thinking that there was a fair chance he would receive a cold.

_Great. Just what I need._

Trying to pretend the whole thing never happened, the attorney took off again, trying not to slip over.

_How the hell can I show up to see Miles looking like THIS? No, Phoenix, stay positive... _

Lost in his thoughts, he was stopped only when the sound of a boy's voice cut in.

"_Hey, LOOK OUT!"_

"...?!"

Phoenix looked up quickly just in time to see what looked like a high school student on his bicycle, one hand clutched around the handle of a black umbrella. The boy panicked and a millisecond later, had tried to steer out of the way. Unsuccessful, he had collided with the lawyer at full speed – a resounding crash accompanied the sound of traffic in the background and the voices of people murmured in shock.

At that moment, Phoenix saw nothing but white. The sensation of blinding pain struck him almost immediately afterwards, before his vision faded and his consciousness slipped from the grasp of his physical self.


	10. Chapter Ten

_**Author's Notes:**_

I'm nice. *sarcastic face* I was totally going to postpone uploading this chapter until like, next week or something ahurr.  
BUT NAH.  
Enjoyyyyy. This update is much longer than the last one so... yeah.  
(And lol sorry if there are like, ten million inaccuracies about the CHMC. I just said it was renovated to help cover up any architectural errors regarding that place, lawl. It's in the future anyway and that place is really old, apparently. So let's just say they decided to give it a visual makeover and change the rules around a bit. *hyuck*)

**Disclaimer: The characters and settings created by CAPCOM that are featured in this story are solely owned by their creators. I do not claim them as mine in any way, shape or form. I am not recieving monetary profit from having written this story and no copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

**"Jumping to Conclusions"**

_***~Chapter Ten~***_

Miles Edgeworth was feeling rather exhausted. It wasn't jet-lag, no. He was used to business trips by now, so travelling across the world did little to alter his usual sleeping pattern. Not that he ever _got _enough sleep, since he was always working. He was simply tired from having to wait in line for longer than two hours at the London International Airport before he and the other passengers on the same flight were finally granted access onto British Airways. There had been some sort of disruption involving a mix-up of luggages.

Now, after all the fuss, he was sleeping in his seat on the plane with the curtains drawn closed and a near-empty glass of wine held on the pull-out drink-holder. His long overcoat was wrapped tightly around him as he slept and his hair had fallen across his face, hiding his eyes from view. At least being in first class meant that he didn't have to put up with a neighbouring passenger's leg being in the way and taking up his precious personal space.

He woke up a short while later, before an announcement over the speaker system notified everyone that they would be landing in Los Angeles shortly. Miles raised his eyebrows in silent surprise.

_Was I really asleep that long? It only felt like ten minutes..._

At least when he did land, he had one thing to look forward to. He knew that Wright - well, _Phoenix_ - would be there to visit him as soon as he returned to the office. Maybe even earlier than that. Maybe he would even be _at_ the airport. Right now.

… _Who knows._

Miles smiled to himself and sighed. He wanted to tell that man so many things... Yet he just didn't know how. No matter how many times he turned over the sentences in his brain, they always left him stumped. No matter how many times he reworded them, he knew they would sound ridiculous when spoken aloud.

_Not to mention I didn't call him back after that one time. I hope he doesn't think I don't want to speak to him._

The prosecutor continued to think to himself as the captain announced that all passengers were to make sure they were seated and buckled-up before the descent. Miles was already fastened in his seatbelt so he paid the voice little attention. All he could focus on now was that defence attorney.

"_I miss you, Miles..." _

Miles looked down.

_Why am I thinking too deeply into that... He only sees me as a friend. Of course it's not strange for friends to say they miss each other..._

… _But his voice when he said it... it was..._

… _so affectionate._

Some uneventful time later after landing, Miles had disembarked and was currently just passing through the custom gates after having his luggage inspected. He always hated having to go through that – the workers were usually unnecessarily critical about everything that was packed in a bag. Which was understandable _in a way_, giving the circumstances revolving around past incidents of drug-smuggling and importation of other illegal items and substances.

But seriously, why did that worker have to inspect his _toothbrush holder _so thoroughly and suspiciously like that_? Out of all things?_

_I am an internationally-known prosecutor. Obviously, I have more common sense than to ruin my reputation by sinking so low as to bring forbidden entities into any country, for crying out loud._

After realising that Miles wasn't hiding anything out of the ordinary in the toothbrush holder (apart from the very non-masculine, expensive pink toothbrush), he was allowed exit.

The main airport was as busy as usual, with people late for their flights rushing to the gateways before departure, tugging their relatives along with them. Miles swerved himself out of the way (gracefully, of course), as a particularly broad woman shoved past him with a couple of children running behind her. Miles sighed at how inconsiderate people could be sometimes.

_Forget about that now... _

He looked around with mild hope as he walked to a standstill near the escalator leading to the ground level.

_He's not here, after all. What was I expecting, anyway?_

The prosecutor ignored the small pang of shame that invaded his heart as his mind revived just how selfish it was for him to expect his friend to go out of his way and wait for him here. And it wasn't as if Phoenix _knew_ what time he'd return, let alone the fact that his departure from London had been delayed two whole hours.

Oh well.

Miles pulled out his cell phone from his pocket and switched it on since it was safe to do so now. A look at the screen some few moments following, told him that a message had been sent earlier. He read through it quickly and his eyes widened in shock.

_Hey pal,_

_I don't know when you'll get this message since I tried to call you but couldn't get through. I found out that Mr Wright was taken to hospital because he was involved in a bad accident this afternoon. Call back soon!_

_-Gumshoe._

His hand shook as he took in the electronic text, reading each syllable over and over.

… _Taken to hospital..._

… _A bad accident..._

Heart beating insanely fast in his chest, he refrained from making a scene where he stood - knowing it would achieve nothing. Instead, he quickly phoned Gumshoe as requested, waiting anxiously for the detective to pick up at the other end.

"_Gumshoe speaking!" _The man's voice was almost inaudible as Miles did his best to filter it from the surrounding drone in the airport lobby.

"Detective!" Miles almost barked in reply, "I need details..." He drew a long breath to steady himself. "What happened to Wright? Tell me immediately."

"_I don't know __**all**__ the details, sir," _Gumshoe spoke back to him, sounding confused as usual, _"But one of my colleagues happened to be nearby at the time of the accident and he phoned me right after he called the ambulance. Stroke of luck that he was there, I guess... Otherwise I probably wouldn't have found out. He knows who Mr Wright is though, since he's pretty much famous and on televis -"_

"Detective, I did NOT call to have you elaborate on Wright's so-called "celebrity" status! Just tell me which hospital he was taken to!" The prosecutor tried wheeling his luggage out of harm's way as more people flooded through his area.

_"S-sorry sir! Ah, he was taken to the... CHMC! Yeah, the __**California Hospital Medical Centre**__ or something like tha -"_

"Thank you, that's all I need to know." Instantly, Miles pressed the _call cancel_ button and pocketed his cell phone without further ado, cutting off Gumshoe mid-sentence.

_Trust that blundering idiot Wright to get himself into an accident, especially at a time like this..._

Once he had taken a few more seconds to calm himself as best as he could, Miles phoned a taxi and waited outside, hoping desperately at the back of his mind that the defence attorney was in stable condition. The ground was damp and the air smelt like rain. The dark clouds confirmed the weather had not been particularly cheerful earlier.

_Please let him be alright... Please..._

Many minutes passed and the anxiety gnawing away at the usually-refined lawyer's neurons was definitely not a welcome distraction.

Out of nowhere, a family of four hurried past, their youngest son tripping on the overnight bag that Miles had temporarily placed down. Crying loudly, the boy drew the attention of his parents and the prosecutor was soon face-to-face with a thickset man in his forties.

"Mind where yeh put yer luggage!" He yelled rudely in an accent that was somewhere between Scottish and Irish or something of that nature – Miles honestly had no idea. They were beginning to draw stares from other parties.

"Sir, if anybody is at fault here, it is you for not keeping an eye on your child. My luggage is resting completely of the way!" Putting on a frightful glare, the young attorney voiced his words with a seething intensity that immediately caused the bigger man to recoil.

Furious green eyes stared Miles up and down before the brute's left arm was pulled by his wife. He snorted and grabbed his son, who was still crying despite the fact that his knees were barely scratched. His older brother took this chance to laugh at him.

"C'mon, let's go or we'll miss our flight. Reece, stop crying!" He shouted, before turning away with his family in tow.

Staring after them and wearing an expression of repressed irritation, Miles bit his tongue and wondered why he was such a magnet for bad luck.

_And of course, to top it all off, my cab is running late..._

But at least he wasn't the one lying in hospital, hurt and alone, except for the strangers who tended to his injuries... Whoever they were...

_Phoenix... Hold on for just a little longer..._

Saying those words to himself in his mind hurt more than he had precluded. What if it was too late?

"No... no!" Miles shook his head to clear those evil thoughts before they caused him to break down. He was renowned for his calm attitude and ability to control any emotional outbursts that threatened to ruin his reputation, but in this instance, it was almost too much. Especially since Phoenix was already close to receiving a medal for "World's Most Accident-Prone Individual."

A familiar flashback took over him.

A glint of gold, a small smile...

… A little, round pin resting in his palm.

Not too long ago, Phoenix had entrusted him to defend his client in court after falling from a bridge into a freezing river below. Miles had travelled a great distance just to see if his friend was alright.

If he would survive.

_What if this time... What if good fortune isn't on his side...?_

"No..." Again with the bad thoughts. Miles closed his eyes and held back the need to curl his fingers around the locks of hair situated near his temples. And a good thing he did too, as he opened his eyes to see his taxi driver standing in front of him about a metre away, apprehending him with a certain expression that was almost entertained.

"Y'alright? I'm guessing you're this "Mr Edgeworth" who called for a ride to the CHMC?" His voice sounded somewhat lazy, a clear contrast to how he looked – dressed smartly and neatly shaven. The very crooked identification card clipped to his front pocket seemed to serve as a reminder that this man was still a little improvident, nonetheless.

"Y-yes, that's correct," Miles answered immediately, stumbling a little over his words in mild embarrassment. "Please, I need to get there right away..."

"No problem, where's y'stuff..."

As if afraid the other would soil his belongings with his commoner hands, Miles quickly took hold of the baggage himself and demanded that the man open up the trunk of the cab. Once this matter was settled, he took a seat inside the car, choosing to sit up front.

It was only until they had exited onto the highway that the driver spoke again.

"Y'know," he drawled in what was probably the most enthusiastic tone of voice he would ever be able to muster, "Y'look familiar, man."

"Do I." Miles replied curtly, trying to remain calm. It took more than a sliver of willpower to stop him from silencing the other man sharply out of pure panic. Idle chit-chat was the _last _thing he wanted to engage in right now. All that mattered was getting to the hospital quickly. Hell, if they passed a few red lights he wouldn't care.

"Yyyyep." The driver continued with a small nod, somehow not picking up on the clipped tone of his passenger's voice, "Saw ya on TV a few times. You're one of 'em... prosecutors or somethin', aren't ya?"

Miles made a small, barely-detectable, "hmm" in response.

"Heh, thought so." By now the older man was tapping his index finger over a series of buttons beneath the dashboard. A blast of warm air filled the car's interior as the heating system whirred into action. "Sorry, it's a bit cold. Anyway..."

Looking straight ahead and not saying anything, Miles frowned to himself.

"Y'know my daughter is fond of you. She's almost twenty-one, if you're interested."

_What on earth... _The prosecutor's jawline twitched slightly in concealed annoyance. "I'm sorry. I'm not interested."

"Y'sure? Jeez, she'd be disappointed! Imagine if I told her that I had you as a passenger tonight! She'd hit me for not settin' you up. Haha..."

By now the younger man was beginning to lose his patience completely. "Sir, I have absolutely _no_ intention of subjecting myself to such matters with your daughter. That is final." His words were spiteful and wrought with fear as he imagined Phoenix suffering alone. Alone, while he was stuck with a taxi driver who seemed more intent on focusing on his daughter's lack of companionship than the road itself.

"Well, it was worth a shot." A casual shrug of the shoulders and a husky laugh, "Y'really are as scary as they say, man." The driver shot him a slack grin from the side, as they finally turned into an intersection that notified them their destination wasn't much further.

_Just breathe, Miles. Calm down..._ The silvery-haired individual kept his line of sight focused up front and looked for any more signs that indicated just how much further they had to travel. The pale yellow lights that lined the sides of the road seemed to pierce his retinas and he blinked several times in an attempt to cure the irritation. It was as if _everything_ was trying to annoy him right now.

Finally the car turned into the secured parking lot of the newly-renovated hospital. The driver looked to him, sighing. "Well, here we are. I'll help y'wheel that luggage of yours to the entrance. Who y'visiting anyways?"

Miles exhaled and glowered in his direction. "I'm perfectly capable of carrying my belongings, thank you." He looked at the fare meter before quickly thumbing some notes out of his leather wallet and handing them almost carelessly to the man, "As for why I asked you to take me here, it does not concern you. Good night."

"Hey hey, chill out." The driver moved out of the car and removed his passenger's luggage from the trunk, handing them to the prosecutor, tentatively. "Go in there and make 'em better, whoever it is." He winked, taking Miles by surprise. The twenty-seven year old sent him another unpleasant stare in bitter reply.

"Thank you and _good night."_ He repeated sharply, not looking behind him as he walked off, wheeling his bags in tow. He could have sworn that the other man was laughing lightly at his easily-irritated personality.

"I'll tell my daughter you said 'hi'!" He shouted after Miles, as he finally got back into his cab and drove off.

Miles breathed unevenly as he approached the hospital's automatic doors; his fine shoes making soft, rushed taps against the concrete. _Good riddance. _He made a swift movement to switch off his cell phone before entering the building.

As soon as he stepped beyond the entrance, he was shrouded in the almost-frightening whiteness of the foyer. It was surprisingly quiet here, save for the clacking of a secretary's keyboard from behind the administration desk. A few widely spaced and comfortable-looking sofas were lined up against the walls to the left and well-kept, potted palms served as a relief from the otherwise scarily-plain surroundings. Not wanting to waste any more time consulting the floor guides, Miles moved to speak to the closest secretary, a young, chestnut-haired woman sitting behind a glass window. She looked up from the series of papers she had been sorting out on her desk.

"Good evening, sir. How may I help you?"

"Yes, I'm here to see a patient who was recently submitted to this hospital." Miles spoke quickly, "H-he was taken here this afternoon by ambulance, I believe."

"Alright..." The secretary turned to her computer and started looking up something, "We have more than one patient who comes in via ambulance each day, sir." Her face and tone made it quite obvious that she had been there since the early hours of the morning and wanted nothing more than to go home. "You're going to have to be more specific."

_Damn, Edgeworth... Now is not the time to be leaving out details! _There was a brief moment of self-loathing as Miles blinked and cleared his throat with a tiny cough.

"Do you know the patient's _name_?" The woman looked at him with a raised eyebrow, irritable for a response.

"Phoenix Wright." The name was blurted out so quickly in a voice saturated with inadequately-disguised consternation, that Miles was left wondering for a second if it was really him who had just uttered it.

"Phoenix Wright... Phoenix Wright..." The secretary repeated to herself, keying in more details before looking back up at him from behind her screen. "Ah. Yes... He was admitted here several hours ago. Level two, ward nineteen."

"Thank you." Miles immediately made his way to the stairs.

"Sir!" The woman called after him before he could go any further, "There's an elevator just over there, that might be easier. And you have... baggage with you. I'm afraid we can't let you proceed. Please allow me to store your belongings here for security."

_Since when did hospitals take personal belongings into concern? _Miles wondered, seeing as he couldn't remember the last time he had been told to keep his things locked up at the entrance.

The secretary exited the confines of the administration area and took the bags from the prosecutor.

"Sorry. It's just that we have to take extra precautions these days. If visitors are taking anything to a patient's room, it must be clearly visible and checked by security. You can collect these on the way out." She handed him a green, numbered card. "Just present that to the front desk later and you're good to go."

"Right. Well, if you'll excuse me..." Miles almost ran to the stairs, not wanting to take the elevator. He knew how stupid he was being, not willing to put Phoenix before his fears... But when it all came down to it, the stairs to the second floor were nothing in comparison to the number of steps he climbed to work every morning. Besides, if the elevator were to malfunction with him IN it...

He shivered at the premise.

... His visit would be even more delayed.

_By then it would probably be too late..._

Miles shook those thoughts out of his mind again as he ascended the stairs, stopping at level two in less than a minute.

A young member of the hospital staff walked past. A male nurse, judging by the uniform.

"Oh, if you're here to visit anyone, make it quick," he said, pausing to talk to the grey-eyed prosecutor who was currently standing in the corridor looking for ward nineteen. "Visiting hours are nearly over."

_So many distractions..._ Miles turned to glare at the nurse, "Why didn't they tell me this at the front desk?" he muttered impatiently, "Where is ward nineteen? Please, I need to see him!"

"W-well, visiting hours ARE written in clear view on every floor." The nurse replied quickly, looking sheepish. His smile reminded Miles of a certain defence attorney who was waiting in possibly critical condition.

"I don't care! I don't have _time_ to read those god-forbidden signs! Just tell me where... Never mind!" Miles brushed the other man aside as soon as he spotted the bold number situated above the door he was looking for. He rushed towards it, leaving the nurse standing there.

"Don't run in the corridors, it's dangerous!" He shouted, sounding much like a school teacher.

Miles quickly turned to enter the ward when another person walked out of it. For a fleeting moment, he thought it was Phoenix. The shorter individual stopped and stared up at him with surprised, hazel eyes.

"And who are you?" She spoke sharply, staring at Miles from behind light-rimmed spectacles. "Mr Wright is unable to see anybody right now. Come back tomorrow."

"No, I can't! I have to see him!" Miles almost shouted back, trying to push past the other in a manner that was very unlike his own, "Can't you permit me to see h -"

"Not _now_, sir! Please, move aside!" The doctor made to grab the handle behind her to pull the door closed but Miles stopped her, pressing his palm to the cold surface and pulling out an identification card from one of the pockets lining the inside of his overcoat.

"I am a prosecuting attorney," he spoke seriously, holding the card in front of her face for her to observe, "I demand that you let me see this patient _immediately_."

"You can't threaten me with that!" She argued, pulling herself up to her full height. "Sir, you must understand that abusing your authoritative power like that won't work here!" The thin wisps of pale hair that hung over her forehead were swept aside by a rushed hand. Said hand then made its way to its owner's hip were it stayed pressed against the bone as the doctor assumed an impatient pose.

"And why not?" Miles questioned her, throwing a glare powerful enough to shatter her glasses if it were physically possible, "Let me enter this instant!"

Either his glare had worked wonders yet again, or the woman had finally become intimidated by the fact that she was facing an internationally-acclaimed legal representative. Maybe it was both, but she stepped to the right and granted him entrance to the small room, huffing brusquely.

"Thank you." Miles said in appreciation, although his voice didn't show it. He walked in straight away before turning to the doctor again who had stepped in after him as if to make sure he wouldn't try anything strange.

"If I may ask, what happened?" The curtains were slightly drawn around Phoenix's bed and he wanted an explanation to prepare himself for what he would be faced with.

The doctor swallowed costively and gathered herself together to remain competent.

"Mr Wright was involved in an accident this afternoon," She related calmly now, stating the obvious. She looked at her clipboard and sighed. "He has been diagnosed with a concussion and mild bruising to the hip, arm and facial areas, as well as simple fracture of the fifth metacarpal on his left hand. However..." She flipped a page on her clipboard and read what was written there, "...He doesn't appear to have any vascular problems so his blood circulation should help heal up that fracture nicely in a short amount of time, if he's lucky." Stopping to take a small breath, the doctor looked up at Miles who was looking at her in disbelief.

_If he's "lucky"?_

"But what _happened_?" He repeated. "What was the _accident_?"

There was a pause as the practitioner readjusted her spectacles. A look of concentration came over her as she searched for more details within the many pages she held in her arms. Finally, she pulled out a sheet with the information she was looking for and recited it.

"Well, witnesses at the the time of the accident say that a school kid accidentally lost control of his bicycle in the rain and collided with Mr Wright, somehow causing him to be pushed onto the road where a passing car struck him almost immediately. The student was miraculously unharmed except for some small grazes on his legs and hands... But as for Mr Wright..." She looked towards the hidden bed sympathetically, "He hasn't woken up since."

Miles' breathing hitched in his throat and a foul, strangely metallic taste crawled over the back of his tongue as anxiety threatened to overcome his senses.

"H-He..."

"Don't worry, sir. He is in relatively stable condition at the moment." The doctor walked over to the closest curtain and pulled it back, revealing the bed-ridden defence attorney. Miles' facial expression changed to one of utmost sympathy.

"Phoenix..." He mumbled, temporarily forgetting that he wasn't the only other conscious person in the private ward.

"If all goes well, he will be waking up soon, Mr... Ah, I'm sorry - but what was your name?"

"Edgeworth." Miles wondered if she had even bothered to look at the ID he had showed her earlier, or if she even bothered to watch the news. It wasn't as if he had never been mentioned by the media before.

"Alright then. Well, like I said, he'll probably be waking up soon. If that happens while you are here with him, call for me right away. Ask for Doctor _Rachel _Calloway, since there are two Calloways working here. Well, one is actually spelt differently but they both sound the same." She held up her own card and showed him to clarify her identity.

"I understand. Thank you, doctor."

"Mr Wright is currently hooked up to a drip, as you can see." The woman nodded towards the IV near the bed, "I request that you don't touch anything due to the possibility of complications arising, alright? There's a chair in the corner that you can pull up to his side if you want. If you have a cell phone on you, please make sure it's turned off."

"I'm aware of that." Miles replied lowly.

Nodding, Doctor Calloway walked out and shut the door behind her, leaving the other two alone.

Once he was sure she was completely out of hearing range, Miles let out a long sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt the symptoms of a migraine creeping up on him.

_Not now... This is all I need._

He felt selfish again for thinking he had it bad when someone dear to him so obviously had it much worse.

"Oh god... Why did you... How?" Miles knelt at Phoenix's bedside and watched the other attorney's face, so calm in comparison to his own. He was sure that if he could see himself in a mirror right now, he'd look older than he actually was. The stress of the black-haired man next to him getting involved in an accident again was too much for him to handle at this point. Phoenix's eyes were closed and his right cheek was stained dark purple closer to the jawline. Several small scratches marked the skin around his nose and forehead, plus his upper lip had a small cut.

Closer observation revealed that the unconscious lawyer's left hand was partially covered by a metacarpal fracture splint. The needle of an intravenous drip was secured to his right wrist and a heart rate monitor stood next to the other side of the hospital bed, emitting high beeps that sounded at even intervals. That was a good sign, at least, Miles noted to himself.

Still...

He could hear Phoenix breathing – weak, slow breaths that barely moved his chest. The prongs of a nasal tube delivered oxygen to the man as he slept, looking peaceful yet somehow struggling feebly at the same time.

"You idiot!" Miles hissed through clenched teeth. "Why would you even be wandering about in the rain like that anyw -"

_No... Don't tell me he was on his way to see me at the airport..._

"If what I'm thinking is true, Phoenix Wright, then you are a bigger fool than I first assumed." The prosecutor felt a pricking sensation teasing the corners of his eyes and he didn't bother to stop the tears as they quietly trickled down his cheeks. "You stupid fool... Just like me... I'm a fool for secretly wanting you there when I should have known it would be difficult for you..."

_If Franziska were here, she would be proud that you have caused me to suddenly take up her way of speaking. _

The tiniest smile tugged at Miles' mouth and he looked towards his shoes, wiping away his tears with his fingers for all the good it would have done. Raising his head, he stood up and quietly retrieved the forgotten chair from the corner, pulling it up to the bedside and sitting down. It served to provide him with momentary relief from kneeling on the cold, hard floor.

A hospital floor, at that. Pulling a face, Miles reminded himself to make a stop at the dry-cleaners tomorrow morning.

But enough. That was irrelevant - someone's life mattered more than his clothing right now.

"The doctor said you're in stable condition." Miles muttered, feeling a bit silly for talking to a person who was evidently not able to process his words at the moment. "So... So you'd better hurry up and heal."

_Like **that** is going to speed up anything. And the doctor said "relatively stable condition at the **moment**. Who knows... Anything could go wrong at any time._

Suddenly the door slid open and a head poked its way into the room.

"Um... Sorry to interrupt, but I'm afraid visiting hours are over now, sir." A shy-looking nurse gave him an apologetic glance before turning to the corridor and nodding politely at a passing colleague who was on their way to administer medicine to the patient in the next ward, "I-If you could kindly make your way out now..."

"May I stay a little longer?" Miles questioned, turning to completely face her form in the doorway.

"I'm … I'm sorry. We can't let you do that."

Miles swallowed down the anger that wanted to escape him through his vocal chords. Instead, he bit his lower lip and frowned.

"Sir, if you wish, you can return tomorrow after eleven am?" She suggested timidly, waiting for him to say something.

"I can't wait that long." The prosecutor spoke defiantly, looking right at her.

"Um... b-but..."

Out of nowhere another voice interrupted the pair.

"Cassie, it's fine. Let him stay longer if he wants to." Doctor Calloway had returned, lightly tugging the other woman to the side. "Mr Edgeworth, I'll give you another hour, alright? After that you have to leave."

Miles nodded thankfully. "I appreciate that."

"An hour." She said again, holding up one finger as if to make sure that he would store the information in his head successfully. A second later the two medical staff members had left, sliding the door shut firmly in their wake.

Miles looked back to Phoenix, feeling sorry for him. This situation reminded him all too well of the time he had been hospitalised after another close brush with death barely a year ago. That time he had reminisced about earlier just after exiting the airport.

The conscious lawyer of the pair proceeded to look around the dimly-lit private ward, taking note of the various things lying around that would no doubt be of assistance to Phoenix once he woke up. His grey eyes wandered over a remote that served to adjust the hospital bed... An emergency call bell... A small waste disposal unit and several other objects. The curtains draped to the side of his bed looked clean and coloured a dark blue. Coincidentally, Phoenix's favourite colour. Or so Miles assumed.

He looked at the defence attorney's sleeping form again and noticed that he wasn't properly tucked in. The blankets over his body were not secured in place, half-revealing his bare chest that had been exposed after paramedics had rushed to check for any severe injuries to his torso. The loose folds of his unbuttoned shirt, blazer and pants, as well as that unusual raspberry-coloured tie he always wore, were draped over a stand near the wall. Miles frowned, knowing full well that his companion was as good as naked under the rest of those sheets, with the exception of his underwear.

_I hope he's not too cold. _

The ward had sufficient heating but it didn't stop the prosecutor from wondering if his friend was really protected from the chill. Gently, he advanced to pull the corners of the bedsheets securely over the other attorney's body, tucking them in at the sides.

"There..." He mumbled to himself once done. He wasn't sure if he was imagining things, but did Phoenix make a small noise?

"Please recover..." The silvery-haired lawyer found himself wrapping his fingers around Phoenix's cold ones; easing both sets of digits together so they interlocked almost lovingly. There was a short moment of surprise as Miles grasped the fact that this was the closest he had ever gotten to the other man. He discovered he was now quivering slightly as the full reality of the situation hit him again.

The heart rate monitor continued to beep at a steady rate, providing an eerie yet somewhat comforting interference within the otherwise dreadful silence.

"I couldn't bear to lose you..."

Shaky breathing...

Where was it coming from?

… _It's... Me?_

Tears trailed down Miles' pale cheeks again. He was being pessimistic, wasn't he? Focusing on all of the possible negative outcomes of the situation, instead of centralising on the affirmative. Somehow paranoid that he would be seen in this weakened state, he once more hurriedly wiped away the liquid evidence of his sadness.

_I'm always like this..._

… _I need to STOP thinking this way..._

Ever so tenderly, he squeezed Phoenix's right hand and lifted it to his face as gently as possible. Just holding it there against his cheek, feeling the slow pulse of the other man's wrist... Skin on skin.

_His hand isn't warm enough._

Closing his eyes, Miles wished more than anything that this was a dream.

_Whenever something bad happens... One will say to themselves that they wish it was naught but a dream... _

… _And now I am saying it to myself, too. _

_How cliché. _

He continued holding Phoenix's limp hand to his cheek, wanting the hand to suddenly animate and touch his face in kind... Wanting those slightly-calloused fingers - worn from so many desk-slams, to uncurl and caress him... To reassure him that all was well.

Miles gave the hand one last, tender squeeze before lowering it back at Phoenix's side.

There was a short moment in which the prosecutor did nothing except stare at the blank curtains hanging lifelessly, opposite where he sat. Then, as if his emotions beckoned to him, he stood up and craned his upper body over the unconscious form of his accident-prone, courtroom rival. He began tracing both of his thumbs over the soft-yet-firm, scratched skin of Phoenix's jaw. After a few seconds of doing this he allowed his thumbs to placidly draw a line over the attorney's full lips - focusing on them, hoping for those lips to curve upwards and reveal a set of pearly-white teeth that Miles could never help staring at whenever Phoenix would timorously grin at him in the middle of a trial.

_Please smile for me again._

Yet there was no smile for him.

He wished for those eyes to open... Those sapphire-blue irises to peer upwards and meet him with an invigorating gaze that would lift his spirits and comfort him all at once.

_Please open your eyes._

Yet those eyelids remained closed.

"Phoenix...You..."

_...You poor thing._

_You are so stupid, sometimes._

The pale attorney pressed his forehead to the other man's; his own silvery fringe falling, unrestrained, over Phoenix's temples. Miles felt the bundle of nerves surrounding his own stomach contract with worry but he ignored it, his eyes half-lidded - listening to the sounds of their quiet, synchronised breathing. His hands continued to gingerly touch and explore the parts of his face and neck that weren't bruised and he was alerted to the various scents that met his nares upon the newly-established proximity between them. He smelt the remnants of dried rainwater from the defence lawyer's hair; the light tang of dried blood on his skin and the sharp sting of antiseptic as it washed over his olfactory nerves.

Then, slowly; quietly … As if time would shatter around him if he wasn't careful...

…

_Forgive me, but..._

_..._

"I _love_ you."

Miles closed his eyes once more, delicately pressing his lips to those of the brunette's and savouring the contact between them like he would never get the chance to touch him ever again.

But that was ridiculous to ascertain... Phoenix would wake up eventually, wouldn't he? There was no way he'd leave this world so soon... He'd be fine...

_Don't you dare leave me._

The kiss lasted longer than Miles had first anticipated. It was an innocent kiss, just one pair of lips pressed against another with little to no movement. He found himself not wanting to part, to just _stay_ that way. Unmoving, transfixed in a confusing moment of pure bliss and relief as all of his feelings spilt out of him.

_But why here? Why now?_

_..._

_If only you were awake._

_If only you knew how I feel about you._

_How much I **care**..._

_..._

_Why, like this..._

_Why do you do this to me? You reduce me to a near-trembling pile of emotions... I was never like this around anyone else before._

_So why now? **Why**._

It was all he could do at that moment – to just think to the best of his ability in that affection-intoxicated state and ask himself the same, one-worded question over and over: _"Why?"_

Miles drew in a long breath of air through his nose and moved away only mere millimetres, before closing in again to leave a light string of kisses on Phoenix's bottom lip. His fingers were tempted to run themselves through those atramental locks of hair splayed over the pillow. Miles let them. He let the barely damp strands he had always wanted to touch trail over his fingertips and fall back in place, repeating the action several times before stopping and sitting down again to rest his head next to Phoenix's on the soft, puffed cushioning.

The remainder of the hour was spent this way, in silence, broken only by the beeping of the monitor and the occasional footsteps of the staff walking up and down the corridors. The whole time, Phoenix never stirred.

However, Miles knew that the defence attorney's body was just taking its time to regenerate.

Yes, that was it.

A now-familiar person entered the ward quietly after a few moments, knocking softly at the same time.

"Mr Edgeworth?" Doctor Calloway's voice was but a whisper as she took in the sight of the silvery-haired man resting his head on the same pillow as her patient; "Time's up for now."

Miles abruptly rose to his feet. "I'm sorry," he apologised soundly, returning the chair to its correct place before walking back to Phoenix's bedside and touching his hand warmly.

"It's alright. There's nothing to be sorry for." The response seemed more relaxed and understanding as the older professional watched the pair with a sad smile. "But if you plan on coming back tomorrow, make sure it's after eleven am, as visiting is prohibited before then."

Miles nodded silently, before bending and whispering something in the other lawyer's ear.

"I'll see you tomorrow... I promise. Good night, Phoenix."

And with that, he reluctantly followed the doctor out of the ward and watched as she quietly pulled the door shut, blocking his friend from view.

"Do you need me to escort you back to the front desk? Or can you manage?" She asked Miles seriously, causing the prosecutor to wonder just _who_ out there had a sense of direction so poor that they would get lost on their way to the ground floor from the second.

"No, I'm fine." He replied shortly, pulling his coat around him tighter and shaking his head. "I'll be here after eleven tomorrow morning. Please don't delay in contacting me should anything, ah... happen... before then." Handing her a business card, he watched as her sandy eyebrows knitted together upon reading it.

"Oh, I think I remember who you are now..." She muttered. "You're on the news every now and again." An expression that bordered on fascination spread over her features. "Well, we'll see you when we do. Hopefully, Mr Wright will be awake by then."

Miles nodded politely, inwardly asking himself whether or not she had already made any assumptions after seeing him so close to Phoenix only a short while ago. Even if she did, it was of little concern for now.

He made his way downstairs, collecting his belongings from the now rather exhausted secretary at the front desk, before exiting the building. Searching the car park for his vehicle with narrowed eyes, he suddenly remembered something of open importance and almost scolded himself then and there for forgetting.

_Oh._

He looked down at the handle of the burden he was wheeling behind him.

_I can't exactly drive home without my car._

The man switched on his cell phone and called for another taxi, praying that he wouldn't end up with the same, near "articulation-impaired" driver from before.

No doubt about it – he would be spending the rest of his night sleepless with presentiment.


	11. Chapter Eleven

_**Author's Notes:**_

Oh my GOD. I am so, so, **SOOOO** _ridiculously_ sorry that I haven't updated this in over a year. I've been wanting to post this chapter for months now but just hadn't finished it so I put it off over and over again and let my readers down. DX I hope you can forgive this author, though. EVEN THOUGH YOU PROBABLY SHOULDN'T. As always, a huge thank you to those who commented on the last chapters! It brightens my day to know some of you go out of your way to take the time and comment. I read them all even if I'm unable to respond fast. I WILL TRY HARDER. I'd reply to each of you individually but right now I'm quite cut for time since I have so many other things to finish. It's driving me nuts. I kind of fail at organising my priorities at the moment since I've had so much crap happen in the past year. Emotionally and physically, I haven't been doing very well. Not well at all. All sorts of problems hitting me in the face from all directions and just when I think it's over, BAM. Another one hits. But I'm still alive so hey, I'll finish this story if it's the last thing I do, rofl. I really do enjoy writing it.

_(Comments are still very welcomed and I'll do my best to answer back eventually. Let me know what you think! It's obviously not mandatory but it's nice to read your opinion on the story if you have the time. ^^)_

As usual, please excuse any grammar, punctuation, spelling, general knowledge or "factual" errors you may find. I really want to go back and edit all of the chapters since my ways of spelling some words are all muddled up due to my constant "UK ENGLISH/ US ENGLISH" switching I keep making to keep the story consistent. It's not working. D: Like I sometimes accidentally type "mobile" instead of "cell" but I also have to remember that I still spell words the British way. Like "travelling" as opposed to "traveling." So I get confused a lot ahaha. /shuts up.

**Disclaimer: The characters and settings created by CAPCOM that are featured in this story are solely owned by their creators. I do not claim them as mine in any way, shape or form. I am not recieving monetary profit from having written this story and no copyright infringement is intended.**

"Jumping to Conclusions"

***~Chapter Eleven**~*

Morning silence.

The ringtone of the cell on the marquetry commode blemished what little peace Miles had managed to collect during his brief slumber. Such a rare thing was relaxation in the prosecutor's hectic lifestyle, that the loss of such a moment was naught but only too common and he regretfully extended a lazy hand to answer the call which had so rudely disrupted his repose.

"Miles Edgeworth, speaking." Despite the actuality that he had just been forced into waking, he still managed to uphold the distinct, professional mannerism he was so used to.

"_Mr Edgeworth, it's Doctor Calloway from California Hospital Medical Center." _Not waiting for his response,the caller continued speaking,_ "I… have some important news to tell you." _

Freezing with instantaneous worry, the previously drowsy lawyer's eyes widened as he digested the strangely calm words of the practitioner speaking to him on the other end of the line. The sort of voice she was using was one of _those _voices; the type that was no doubt masking something far more calamitous than what she dared to imply.

Miles attempted to breathe away his anxiety, closing his eyes for a short moment before speaking.

"W-what is it...?"

_Please don't let it be bad news... Anything but that._

"_It's about... Mr Wright."_

"..."

Of _course_ it was regarding Phoenix. _Who_ else... _why _else would she have a reason to call. Swallowing down the accumulation of disquietude which had risen up his throat, the prosecutor hastily got out of bed and rushed to collect his clothing from the wardrobe a few metres away; the phone cradled between his shoulder and the side of his face as he changed into a clean pair of pants. Moving swiftly, a feeble attempt at sounding intrepid somehow managed to slip from his mouth.

"I'll be right there."

Despite his efforts to conceal it, the trace of a waver lingered on his reply.

He had little to no idea how he had arrived at his target location as fast as he did.

The hospital walls once again loomed on all sides, stark white... _pure _... as if to falsely reassure him that there was no such thing as death or misery in this universe that he dared to live in.

But Miles wasn't so confident for some reason. Walking brusquely through corridor after corridor, his feet blindly led him in the direction of the room that was currently alienating his friend from the rest of the world. The more distance he covered, the more he was able to see that there was in fact a small gathering of medical staff standing in the doorway of the ward he was headed to, talking amongst themselves in what sounded like solemn tones of voice.

There was a moment's hesitation as Miles was trapped between deciding to barge past them and maintaining his repose to calmly ask for Doctor Calloway. His question was spared as soon as he spotted the wispy-haired woman gently squeeze her way between the others and out of the ward, her facial expression, mysteriously unreadable.

_Don't let this be what I think it is. _

"Mr Edgeworth..."

_Don't say it._

Small, slightly trembling hands repositioned the thinly-framed glasses balancing on Doctor Calloway's long nose as she let out a quiet sigh. "None of us expected this, but..."

"T-Tell me! What is it? _What happened to him_?" Any manners Miles had kept stored to address the woman were immediately rendered non-existent as the now-familiar panic started to well up inside his chest all over again. "Let me see him, please!" By this point he had started to sway to the left, trying to find a space between the staff gathered at the ward's entrance. "Move out of the way. _Now._"

"Sir, I don't think it's... I mean. Y-you really shouldn't." A middle-aged nurse gave him a pitiful glance before turning away, wringing her hands. "Not yet."

"... W-why not?" The prosecutor's now frightened voice replied. How was it, that someone who could be so annoyingly calm at a crime scene, suddenly have a personality switch _now?_

_Was that really **me** speaking?_

A hand rested on Miles' tense shoulder from behind. It was a sympathetic motion, executed purely to prepare him for whatever was going to be uttered next. Unsurprisingly, he found out the hand belonged to Doctor Calloway.

_Whatever you are going to tell me, I don't want to hear it... I just want to SEE him. _

Strangely, though his thoughts pressured him to ignore her, he listened. He painfully forced himself to hold still for just a moment longer for an explanation to this morbid atmosphere that had welcomed him.

"About an hour or so before you arrived... Mr Wright... Well. He..."

_This suspense... I don't need it. I don't NEED it. I don't want to hear your voice anymore... Only his. Just **his**._

His thoughts bounced back and forth between wanting an explanation and refusing one, momentarily giving himself the impression that he was going insane. His aim now was to speak to Phoenix, to know he was okay. Just hearing Phoenix greet him... Seeing him blink and smile would be enough.

"... I regret to inform you... he didn't make it. I'm terribly sorry."

"I need to see him, I don't care if you -"

_Wait a minute. No. _

… _No._

It was as if time had stood still.

"Wh-what did you say...?" Miles' body visibly shook as soon as he processed the information; each syllable sinking in and piercing his core like merciless, poison-dipped arrows.

_I misheard you. I'm sure of it... I just..._

"Complications arose overnight... His intracranial pressure rose unexpectedly. A-and that reduced the blood flow to his brain, thus lessening oxygen supply to the surrounding tissue as well." Doctor Calloway was looking at the floor now, her voice husky with regret.

Something snapped within the prosecutor before her, and his broken voice startled her into looking up again.

"C-complications? Why... why was nobody there to supervise him in the first place? Why didn't anybody KNOW?"

_This is not happening... I refuse to believe it. I can't - _

A second of lost thought in which malpractice lawsuits were looming at the verge of his mind seemed to encapsulate the lawyer before he shook his head distrustfully, moving straight through the other people with a well-placed shove and ignoring their words with false deafness. Knowing that he would be forever haunted by what he was about to see, he turned to look at the solitary bed to his right, a white sheet drawn over the rigid form that lay underneath.

The form that was once a living, breathing human being, not unlike himself. The form that was once that of the man who had saved him and stuck by his side no matter how resilient a barrier Miles put up around himself to prevent anyone from getting close. Somehow, that one person had been strong enough to fight through the net of barbed wire surrounding his heart.

Now, all that he could see was a lifeless form. Faceless and unidentifiable.

… _Phoenix?_

"Ph-Phoenix..."

_Surely this is a joke, right? That cannot possibly be him._

Denial was getting the better of Miles as he quickly moved to pull the sheet away from the corpse, shaky hands making the seemingly easy feat near impossible. Tears were painfully pricking his eyes as he uncovered the top of the body, leaving himself staring closely at the one individual he had hoped, more than anyone, it would not be.

Cyanosis had tinged his skin a sickening grey and his lips an almost pale blue. Those once bright, cerulean-coloured irises forever sheltered behind cold eyelids. Miles stared, wishing with what was undoubtedly false hope that the still man would blink and greet him with that familiar glint in his eyes that he had grown to love.

Silently, he moved one of his hands to grip Phoenix's wrist and found that his arms were frozen, for lack of a better word. Rigor mortis had surely done its job, inhibiting the once-attorney's body to a state of inflexibility.

_It's... It's him. _The unparalleled flavour of gastric acid bubbled up in his throat, caustic and foul._ It's him._

"No. Phoenix... _Phoenix._"

His worst fear... agonisingly confirmed.

"Mr Edgeworth, sir... I... I need you to - "

"Just go... Get out. GET _OUT_!" His voice both hollow and angry, Miles pointed at the exit, addressing Doctor Calloway and her fellow co-workers without turning to look at them. Falling to his knees at Phoenix's bedside, he clutched hopelessly at the still form of his friend, cradling him tightly.

"A-alright. We'll... be out here if you need us." The reply from the woman at the doorway was still as husky as before, and Miles chose to ignore the fact that she was probably used to announcing to people when their loved ones had passed away.

_To you... It's just part of your job. Isn't it. _

…

He could hear their retreating steps as they left him be, still holding Phoenix to his chest as if they were glued together.

"Phoenix... p-please wake up. Don't do this. Don't you DARE die on me! I… I..."

_It's too late._

"Why am I always... It's my fault. _All my fault_. I let you die. If only I had just -"

_If **only.**_

The last regrets of a fallen man.

It was hurting him so much. So damned much. Every second that passed was agony and seemed to enjoy teasing Miles that the one person who had so much faith in him was now gone forever. There would be no more hearing that voice, no more seeing that grin. As for loving him...

… He'd never know.

"Y-y-you hate me, don't you? This is another one of your games. Like all of the others."

He had no idea whom he was addressing at that moment. God? Was there even a God? Miles was lost and convinced himself that if there was one, he was obviously being toyed around with by him.

"You can cut it out now... J-just _STOP_!" Angry fists curled into the hospital gown on Phoenix's body as Miles dipped his head to bury his face in the material, near-silent sobs wracking his entire form. It was almost akin to that moment in his life seventeen years ago when he was left staring at the cadaver of his father. Cold and unmoving.

"_Miles Edgeworth... Who do you have left to turn to? Nobody."_

The prosecutor stilled and his eyes looked toward the wall, bloodshot and watery. Whose voice had that been, again?

"_I can help you. Just come along with me and everything will be fine."_

Of course.

Manfred von Karma.

That man led him to believe he could help him. So distrustful in the end. Phoenix, on the other hand...

Miles looked at that pale face once more, fighting back the nausea threatening to overcome him.

_You were the only one who kept true to your word. In the end, I could only trust YOU._

"You're the only person I could trust without fail. All those years, you never gave up on me."

As expected, there was no response. Miles breathed shakily and lowered his head again, clinging tightly in a manner nobody had ever seen him carry out. But that didn't matter any longer.

After all, he was only human. _Humans are erroneous. We say and do things even we ourselves don't anticipate_, his father once told him. And little did Miles know he was about to articulate something that he never expected would leave his lips.

"I... I wish that... you and I..."

The echo of a surgeon's beeper was heard from somewhere in the distance. Miles tried to ignore it, realising his brain was now attempting to search for any distraction to divert his attention from the painful sight before him.

"... never met."

A silence followed, broken only by the concerned murmuring of the doctors and nurses standing out in the corridor beyond the ward.

_What am I saying? I didn't say that. That wasn't me, Phoenix. Forgive me. _

"Forgive me..."

_I don't regret meeting you. _

But it hurt. So much. Remembering that time he had stepped up to defend Phoenix in class as children... That time, after skinning his knee just after they had become friends, when Phoenix had gone to fetch a band-aid for him with a level of worry high enough that any adult would have thought he had witnessed a train collision instead of someone just falling over on gravel... That time when he and Phoenix shared lunch after the spiky-haired child had left his sandwich at home by accident. The time Miles had to leave him without saying goodbye.

Now it was the other of the pair... departing without so much as a farewell.

…

Who knew how long it had been since the prosecutor had stepped into the ward. If it was only minutes, it felt more like hours. Exhaustion from having dealt with extreme grief was taking a toll on his system, gradually making him feel more ill and sleepy at the same time. He wasn't aware when the footsteps of a man approached him on the right, and a concerned voice alerted him into finally raising his head.

"..."

"Mr Edgeworth, I'm presuming?" The man had a solemn look on his face equivalent to that on the faces of those waiting outside. "I'm here to wheel the body to the morgue."

"Th-The morgue?" Miles echoed, staring at the stranger with a gaunt expression.

_How on Earth can you even say that to me so casually...?_

"Yes. I'm terribly sorry... Protocol measures state th -"

"... I understand." The attorney cut him off, looking blankly at the floor, his voice almost unrecognisable and too quiet for his liking.

Without further ado, the doctor nodded and once more covered the body, much to Miles' regret. Swiftly, he began wheeling Phoenix's corpse towards the exit, another doctor moving to assist him by redirecting the foot of the stretcher towards the sliding door. Miles remained still, staring after the departing form of his friend and biting back a choked sob silently.

_Don't go..._

He stood up, wanting to move forward... Yet his legs seemed rooted firmly to the floor.

_...D-Don't go!_

His arm lifted by his side as his fingers outstretched, as if hoping that he'd grip onto some unseen rope that would pull Phoenix back into his arms if it would somehow delay the time he'd spend in a freezer, alone, by just a little more.

… _Why are you leaving me. _

And it was then his knees seemed to shatter upon the hard surface of the hospital floor as his body, inexplicably unable to move forward, plummeted down for the second time that morning.

"Ph-Phoenix..."

Life was indeed fond of playing strange games with people. Cruel, unforgiving... _inescapable_. The strings of fate always tangled way too soon.

"I..." His voice came out as nary a cracked whisper, hardly perceptible_. _"...I love you."

What good did it do to utter his feelings aloud now? Phoenix was dead. He'd never come back.

All because of him.

All because he thought of himself before anyone else. Selfish. Just the one trait he wished he had never embraced. What on Earth was he going to tell Maya and Pearl? Just the very premise of breaking the news to those girls would break his heart all over again.

_I feel like I'm going to be sick..._

An invisible, burning noose seemed to tighten around his oesophagus with a level of pain not unlike that of genuine, physical strangulation. Such harrowing shock had left him unable to breathe properly; the fact of which he grasped quite well upon finding out that his lungs seemed to be drowning. Closing his reddened eyes and gasping for air, the silver-haired man hopelessly tilted his head to the ceiling and let every ache within his heart consume him. It felt like the floor was opening up beneath his legs and it wasn't long before gravity seemed to drag him downward into a hole he could not see, because he refused to open his eyes...

...He refused to look at a world without Phoenix in it.

_When will I stop falling._

The air around him seemed to get warmer the further he descended. Behind sandpaper eyelids he could sense everything getting brighter, the light filtering through the skin and shining onto his retinas as if someone were disdainfully shining a torch onto his face. How unusual... Wasn't it supposed to get darker?

There was no such thing as light any more, was there? There should not be.

_Not without you._

He numbly braced himself for the inevitable collision with whatever was waiting for him at the end of this long fall, hoping it would knock him out so he could avoid having to face everything for even just a little while.

…

What he didn't expect, was to make contact with a soft yet firm landing and for his eyes to snap open, leaving him staring up at the pale ceiling of his bedroom with beaded sweat on his brow and his lungs filling and emptying with air dangerously fast. A range of emotions flooded him... Anger, sorrow, anxiety...

… Relief.

Complete and utter relief. All caused by that one occurrence that everyone labelled as cliché in a novel or video game. That one, overused plot twist which would annoy the hell out him whenever he watched a film, which was not often, but still.

_A dream. _

He lay motionless, his face tear-striken and his breathing rate slowing considerably.

_It was just a bad dream._

"Damn it..."

A palm rested on his damp forehead as a sigh left his mouth. Eventually sitting up and rubbing his eyes with clammy hands, Miles let out a low groan and felt the burden of pseudo-bereavement lift away from his being. He heard a small laugh, seeming to mock his idiocy for letting another nightmare get the better of him. It wasn't long at all before he linked the laugh to his own lips as it had indeed been coming from himself.

"You bloody fool."

_Stupid. Of course he didn't die._

He froze.

Everything in his nightmare had been so real_. _So frighteningly _real_. The hospital... The doctors.

The dead body.

Miles never thought he'd ever have to associate his best friend with a corpse in the same thought pattern. But here he was, doing just that. Surely Phoenix was alright, though. He had to be. Still, that unsettling feeling didn't leave him. That stomach-gnawing worry that was not unusual after having his dream self witness the horror of such an illusion.

Without checking the time, Miles quickly got up and undressed himself, freeing his limbs from the pale rose-coloured pyjamas and swiftly moving to his wardrobe, not even realising he had left his bed unmade. Heading downstairs, he ignored the temptation of breakfast and retrieved his keys before striding out the door and locking it behind him, with the speed of a person who was on their way to collect their monetary winnings from the week's lottery draw.

_Don't worry. I'm coming to see you now._

…

_Just wait for me._

"O-oh. You're here early."

_8:45am._

Finally checking his silver wristwatch, Miles blinked once and stared straight at Doctor Calloway, silvery eyes focused on hazel. "It appears so."

"Well. We wouldn't normally permit visitors this early..."

_I believe we have discussed this before. There is no need to repeat yourself._

"Yes, I'm aware of that, Doctor. I still insist on seeing him." He responded, laconically.

The prosecutor folded his arms and tapped his finger on his forearm slowly, his eyes narrowed in such a way that his overall expression had irritation written all over it. He had persuaded the people at the administration desk to let him pay a visit, and God be damned if he wasn't going to be allowed to see Phoenix now.

"O-of course. Let me take you to his room." She began walking down the corridor, her lawyer companion closely in tow. Miles' tone of voice had evidently made her feel slightly intimidated, causing her to comply with his request - much to his silent satisfaction.

"Did anything change overnight?" He added curiously, picking up the pace alongside her. The strange sense of calm between them, despite their furtive movements, was enough to convince him that everything was fine. There was none of that frightful, morbid tension that he had encountered in his nightmare.

Thankfully.

"Not much. He's doing quite well, actually. His vitals have stabilised nicely and he's not showing any signs of memory loss or cerebral haemorrhaging. He's quite lucky, in fact."

"Hmm." _That's wonderful... _"The man is practically blessed with good fortune on his side," Miles countered wryly, although he was incredibly pleased at the news.

_Or bad fortune. Either way he is the "Master of the Turnabout", as they say._

"Well, blessed or not, he's lucky to have recovered well so far, and to have a friend so caring as yourself."

The doctor opened the door to the ward, stepping to the side to allow Miles entrance. Much to her surprise, he paused and beckoned her to move through first out of courtesy.

"Th-thank you." She replied, not wanting to argue. Stepping into the room, she moved to draw the curtains at the other end. Her hair, Miles noticed, was wispier than usual today. Probably because of the cold wind outside or the fact she just didn't have time to fix it up this morning. Whatever the cause, it made her look more stressed than the day before.

"Did he wake up at all during the night?" The prosecutor gently stepped into the now partially sunlight-filled ward, squinting a little and looking at the bed where Phoenix was sleeping soundly.

Alive.

_Thank goodness. You're alright._

A pale hand moved to an equally pale forehead as Miles took a deep breath, the sight before him ameliorating his stress levels significantly. Doctor Calloway turned to look in his direction.

"Well, he woke up once at around 5am this morning... but we didn't call you since it was way too early and probably inconvenient for you. A-are you alright?" Her bespectacled eyes widened concernedly upon witnessing the visitor before her suddenly take on symptoms of an oncoming headache. Or so she thought, the way Miles was holding his head as such.

"I'm fine, thank you." The lawyer lowered his hand and gave her a convincing look. "I've just been incredibly... worried."

"_Worried" does not even sum it up half way._

The woman smiled understandingly; the first time since meeting her that Miles had seen an expression on her face other than seriousness, anxiety, or annoyance.

"I know the feeling all too well, Mr Edgeworth."

_I'm sure you do, Doctor._

"In any case..." Two stress-wrought palms clasped together in front of her as Doctor Calloway gathered her thoughts. "I'll. Leave you to it. He'll be waking up again soon, no doubt. There's water on the night stand if you need a drink. Or you can just come downstairs to the cafeteria or vending machines."

Miles nodded, looking at her seriously. "Alright."

With that, the practitioner took her leave, closing the door of the ward behind her.

Now that she was gone, the room was awfully quiet. Exhaling softly and pulling a plastic chair up to the side of the hospital bed, the conscious attorney surveyed his best friend's still face and narrowed his grey eyes as a small tendril of worry began to weave its way into his mind again.

_I know you'll be fine. So why can't I shake this feeling?_

Nightmares had always been one of Miles' weak points. No matter how impressive a shield he fashioned to protect himself from everything else, there was one, unguarded area that was always accessible to those demons that plagued him in his sleep.

_That horrid dream is making me paranoid. That's all there is to it._

He crossed his arms and sat up stiffly in his chair, crossing one leg over the other and clearing his throat.

"Wright. Are you done being half-dead, yet? It's time to come back to the world of the living."

He mentally snapped at himself.

_Really, Miles? Really? Can't you spare your tactless exclamations until later?_

"Ah. I – I mean. Take your time." His voice softened. "Please." Shifting almost uncomfortably, he then muttered, "I'll stay here until you do."

_I feel a little ridiculous for talking to somebody who can't hear me._

As if responding to his thoughts to prove him wrong, the defence attorney's eyelids flickered for a fleeting moment. Seeing this, Miles almost jumped in shock but miraculously managed to retain his repose. He prolonged the awkwardness by staring almost disbelievingly at the man lying down before him.

_For Christ's sake... He only moved his eyelids a fraction. It's not like he suddenly bolted upright in bed and screamed bloody murder. Honestly, you'd think I'd never seen a person do that before._

But he knew, deep inside, that he was able to appreciate all of those little movements that let him know Phoenix was alive. He was alive and well and he would wake up again soon.

No doubt about it.

_I'm here._

Time passed and silence gripped the air with taunting fingers. Miles could feel himself become slightly clammier with each passing minute. How very unlike him. His tired eyes slowly moved from object to object in the room until they focused upon a glass of water on the night stand on the other side of the bed. He observed the small pattern of sunlight that glinted on the rim and curled his lips inwards in thought.

_Right now, I'm half-wishing I never told you I was going overseas on a business trip. If I hadn't, you wouldn't be in this condition._

Who was he kidding? Phoenix Wright, the man with a knack for finding out things meant to be kept secret, would have found out Miles was missing in action again and as per usual, would have found some way to get in touch with him. One thing would lead to another and well-gathered information would have led him to discover the exact time and date of Miles' arrival back in Los Angeles. Knowing that, Phoenix would have gone out of his way to meet up with him as soon as he got off the plane.

_Okay, fine. I'm wishing that car had not been driving past when you got knocked onto the road._ _You would have been spared this._

"Nn..."

_Or if it hadn't been raining, maybe. That would have worked out nicely too, come to think of it –_

He froze, his eyes darting back to the other man's form on the bed. Did he just hear a noise coming from between those lips?

Phoenix's eyelids flickered a second time, causing Miles' eyebrows to arch towards his hairline unexpectedly.

"Phoe-"

There was another tiny moan of discomfort and the defence attorney slowly began to open his eyes, staring blearily up at the white ceiling. The prosecutor stared in shock as if witnessing a miracle being performed, his breath held and his upper body leaning forward to get closer.

Lifting and turning his head the tiniest fraction, the raven-haired man squinted at the surrounding room with a look of sleepy confusion plastered all over his sickly face.

"Huh?" Whad 'm I doing here... Where?"

"Y-you're... You're awake?" _I can't express how relieved I am about this._ "Phoenix, you're in... hospital."

As if startled by the idea of another human being in the same room as him, the bedridden lawyer flinched and finally focused on his visitor. Miles wondered how the other man even missed his appearance in the first place, but passed it off.

"Miles...? Miles! Uh – I... wait. Hospital...?" The sleepy drawl was immediately lost and replaced with a raised, worried tone. The familiarity of Phoenix's voice, which most of the time managed to sound either loud, panicked, excited or just plain sarcastic, was like music to the ears of the prosecutor at this point. Even if it did tend to grate on his nerves during other, less critical times.

"Yes. Don't move so much." Miles stood up, a little smile crossing his features which he found himself unable to prevent. Despite the unfortunate situation, he was incredibly happy that things had not turned out worse than this. "You had an unfortunate accident. But everything is going to be alright, now." Carefully, he bent over the bed to retrieve the glass of water he had been eyeing earlier. "Are you thirsty?"

"What are you doing here? And what accident?" Phoenix blurted out, ignoring his friend's considerate question and instead choosing to stare in bewilderment as if Miles had just confessed he was pregnant with twins.

Affronted, the older of the two placed the glass back down, backing away a little before sitting back down in the chair. "You were hit by a car," he answered bluntly without taking a breath, "And I'll have you know I'm here because I am actually concerned about you. Are there any objections?" A silvery stare bore into blue eyes with the sorely-missed intensity of the courtroom. The defence attorney found himself at a loss for words and sheepishly scratched his neck with the hand that wasn't splinted.

"O-oh... Oh yeah. I think I remember bits and pieces... Um. It was raining, I think?" Miles could tell by looking at that face that Phoenix was piecing together bits of the puzzle, his tongue slightly poked out between his teeth as he reminisced.

"It had been raining, yes." The prosecutor confirmed in a heartbeat, slightly mesmerised by how his rival's dishevelled hair seemed to accentuate his jawline.

_This is the worst possible time to be admiring his looks. Especially when he's bruised and beaten after being hit by a car. _

There was his brain again, chipping in and always reminding him not to think unnecessary things that did not pertain to the situation at hand.

"I'm guessing I broke my fingers, too?" Unaware of Miles' previous staring, Phoenix nodded down at his bound hand and looked back at the other man as if he were the doctor and not the visitor.

"Ah." Sifting through his memory to give the defence attorney a more detailed explanation for his splint, Miles sighed. "Fifth metacarpal on your left hand has a simple fracture, apparently. That was what your doctor told me when I visited last night."

"Oh. Damn." Disappointment loomed over the younger man. "Hang on. You visited last night, as well?"

"Do you insist on implying that I am a heartless person who does not care about your well-being?"

"N-no, of course not." Phoenix chuckled; a sound that made Miles' heart skip a beat and the corners of his mouth perk up slightly with the tiniest of smiles.

"Good."

There was an awkward pause, broken only when Phoenix decided to speak again. With his right hand, he clumsily fumbled with the bed sheets and looked down in what seemed to be embarrassment. This was confirmed as soon as his cheeks became flushed with a tint of rose out of nowhere.

"Thank you. F-for visiting me." Looking up again, his eyes softened as he stared at his companions' concerned face. "I'm sorry about all of this. If I hadn't landed myself in hospital we probably would have had gone out for dinner last night at some nice place after you got back."

"... It's alright." So he had wanted to have dinner together? Miles softly looked back at him, feeling his pulse race again. Even like this – sore and scratched and not exactly in ideal shape, the defence attorney's beautiful eyes never lost their brightness. Like two orbs blended with the very colour palette of the deep ocean, they surveyed Miles' every move; every facial twitch, as if looking for an answer to some sort of unasked question.

"I-I just realised something horrible!" The bedridden lawyer suddenly blurted out with a shocked expression, destroying the calmness between them in an instant.

"What?" Miles almost shouted, taken aback and frowning.

"This..." Phoenix looked down at his splint, dauntingly, "This is my _objecting_ hand. How am I supposed to point and shout "_OBJECTION!_" now?"

"..."

_And to think I almost expected him to tell me something LESS ridiculous._

There was a quiet sigh. "That's why you have two hands, Phoenix?"

"It's just not the same."

"Oh, for crying out loud -"

"How long will it take to heal?"

"If you stop fussing over it, considerably less time than you think."

"Oh yeah, Miles. That's incredibly informative. You're a lawyer, you're not meant to be vague!"

"... Where do you spout your words from? Your behind?"

"H-hey!"

The sound of a door opening ceased the pointless quarrel almost immediately. Both men looked up at whoever entered the room, their faces contorted in strange, irritable expressions, almost identical if it weren't for the fact that one of the faces was bruised.

"Oh, what a surprise!" Good morning, Mr Wright." A stocky nurse with braided, dark brown hair looked at the pair of them and smiled widely, showing small, gapped teeth. "Glad to see you're awake." She lifted an eyebrow slightly at his expression. "How are you feeling?"

"I – he started it." Phoenix looked up at the ceiling, feigning innocence.

Ignoring the childish accusation, Miles spoke to the woman directly. "He's being argumentative, just like his old self. So I'd say he's feeling wonderful." His voice dripped with false excitement.

"Um... well, that's great!" The nurse scuffled over and gently adjusted Phoenix's pillows for him, much to the defence attorney's relief.

"Ah, my neck was kinda sore. Thanks!"

"Mm-hmm. I'm going to check your readings..." The nurse turned a page on her small clipboard and jotted down a few figures as she read the monitor to the side. "Very good... You seem to be recovering nicely."

"Well, what do you expect? Phoenix Wright isn't defeated _that_ easily. Even when hit by a car!" The injured lawyer grinned to himself, earning a look of utmost confusion from Miles.

"It's strange how you evade death more often than you manage to live through one day completely unscathed." He mumbled from the corner of his mouth, audible only to the other man.

"Yeah, yeah. Love you too, Miles." A small snicker, slightly croaky from fatigue.

"... Excuse me?"

_Don't go blurting out things like that! E-even if they **are** only meant to display your already-obvious talent at sarcasm!_

"Hm?" The nurse looked up, eyes widened questioningly. "What is it?"

"Ah – erm... N-no, sorry I was talking to him." The seated attorney looked to the side and shot a disapproving glare at his friend, who simply sent him a sheepish grin in return.

"Oh. Okay." The nurse returned to her duties, humming away to herself as if nothing happened.

Miles, tempted to sharply pinch Phoenix's injured hand, refrained from doing so and instead folded his arms crossly and turned his head to the side.

_Why, of all the nerve! Why do I bother getting emotional over you when you're unconscious, yet I can't stand you during the majority of your waking hours? Not too long ago I wanted to hear your voice and now I wish to stick a plug down your throat... _

A light touch on his forearm caught his attention and he turned again to see Phoenix gazing at him with smiling eyes.

"Stop frowning. I'm just trying to show you I'm going to be okay." He squeezed the other man's sleeve and let his arm flop back down to rest at his side.

An unstoppable blush crept onto Miles' cheeks and he quickly looked away. "F-fine."

_He's joking around like he used to. Of course he'll be alright._

The nurse, plainly unaware of what was going on, proceeded to check her patient's pulse and temperature manually as Miles timidly observed from the corner of his eye, as if watching something he was not supposed to be drawing attention to.

"You can look, you know. You remind me of when we were kids and you'd hide your eyes whenever a kissing scene came on television unexpectedly." Phoenix exclaimed, rubbing it in with a smile as the nurse stepped back and readjusted the position of the intravenous stand.

"I did not hide my eyes!" Miles hissed. "I just turned away."

_Much like I'm doing now, in fact. I've seen enough of your face for one morning. Really._

"Whatever, Mr Perfect Prosecutor..." There was a laugh and Miles felt his ears prickle in irritation.

"You might scare away your visitors if you keep making fun of them!" The nurse intervened good-naturedly, smiling again and addressing Phoenix with the same tone of voice a kindergarten teacher would use on raucous students.

"Nah, he's used to it." Phoenix replied pleasantly, nudging the other man playfully. "He's my best friend. He was so worried about me that he decided to stay and watch over me as I slept!"

Miles looked very unamused.

_Now you're just making me sound like that strange teenage vampire from that book one of my witnesses kept ranting to me about during an interview. Please stop._

"Wright. Might I suggest you stop blurting out nonsense? It's as if your concussion kicked out your ability to think before you speak." _Actually, I don't think he had that ability to begin with, now that I look back on everything._ "You remind me of Butz."

"Why isn't Larry here anyway? Or Maya?"

"I didn't exactly have time to round up the entire city to visit you this morning. Not when I was already worrying enough as it was to think outside my concern for you."

_I probably should have alerted more people. But he doesn't need a party in his ward right now. I'll inform Miss Fey in due time. I don't want her worrying herself into a panic at her age. She's been through enough._

"Speaking of his mild concussion," The nurse once again made herself recognised after disappearing beneath the stream of snappy comments being baton-passed between the two men, "It's a good sign you don't seem to be displaying any severe damage from the impact. You're quite stable and coherent."

_Oh, he's coherent, alright. A little too much for my liking, actually._

"Just take it easy for now, anyway. You'll probably be discharged from hospital soon but you still need to take things at a calmer pace until you fully recover. Your friend might have to assist you in case you feel dizzy or experience other symptoms, okay?" She looked at Miles, expectantly. "Is that alright with you, sir?"

"It's no problem." Miles responded quickly, his soft-spot for the defence attorney unexpectedly getting the better of him once more. "I'll take care of him until he is completely healed."

_Poor fool doesn't exactly have anybody else to assist him right now. _

"Thank you. You're a great help. We'll make sure he's stable enough before being discharged, of course." Flashing them another smile, the nurse excused herself from the ward and left.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Miles sighed loudly and rested his forehead upon the fingertips of his left hand, using his right arm for support.

"If you don't want to help out, you don't have to." Phoenix stated dryly, noting the frustration.

"I – it's not that." Miles raised his head and stared. "I just don't approve of you blurting out puerile remarks in the presence of another person."

"Puerile? Like what?"

There was a pause of precisely 4.2 seconds before the defence lawyer understood.

"Ohhhh. You mean when I said: "Love you too, Miles." That?"

…

_And so he brings it up again, word for word. Lovely._

"That's... exactly what I was referring to." The grey-haired man looked away shyly, trying to pass it off as another irritable sideways glance.

_Why am I so worked up over that? It's not like he meant the bloody sentence when he said it._

"So... If I say it to you when there is no other person present, does that mean it's okay?"

_What._

"What?" Miles faced him again, eyes widening and pale irises reflecting every inch of his fellow attorney's face.

"Funny. I didn't know you needed a hearing aid at your age."

"Shut up, Wright. I heard what you said. I just -"

"I'm _joking_." Phoenix muttered. "Of course I'm not going to blurt out "I love you" in private. That would be kind of... gay. Don't you think?" He let out another laugh, except it sounded awkward and forced.

"... Hmm." Miles narrowed his eyes and frowned. "Not that it's any of my business, but do you have something against homosexual people or am I misinterpreting your words?"

"Huh?"

"You sound as if the idea of two people of the same sex being in a relationship is disgusting to you - "

"Wha – no! No no no! I didn't mean that at all!" Phoenix frantically tried to reason with him, flinching a little as he accidentally moved his injured hand a bit more than he should have. "Ow!"

Miles leaned closer in concern. "Idiot, you're not supposed to move that hand too much."

"Well thank you, Admiral Apparent." Phoenix huffed and rolled his eyes, nursing his hand pointlessly. "What I was going to say, was that I don't have anything against gay people. Okay? I just didn't want you to think I was hitting on you or whatever. Because I'm not." And with that, the defence attorney nervously looked away, focusing intently on an empty bed opposite the room.

… _The thought never crossed my mind, Phoenix..._

Yet, even mentally reassuring himself that it didn't, Miles couldn't help but feel disheartened.


End file.
